pastel

¹

[ pa-stel; especially British pas-tl ]

noun

1. a color having a soft, subdued shade.
2. a kind of dried paste made of pigments ground with chalk and compounded with gum water.
3. a chalklike crayon made from such paste.
4. the art of drawing with such crayons.
5. a drawing so made.
6. a short, light prose study or sketch.

adjective

1. having a soft, subdued shade.
2. drawn with pastels:

   a pastel portrait.

pastel

²

[ pas-tel ]

noun

1. the woad plant.
2. the dye made from it.

pastel

/ pæˈstɛl; ˈpæstəl /

noun

1. 1. a substance made of ground pigment bound with gum, used for making sticks for drawing
   2. a crayon of this
   3. a drawing done in such crayons
2. the medium or technique of pastel drawing
3. a pale delicate colour
4. a light prose work, esp a poetic one
5. another name for woad

adjective

1. (of a colour) pale; delicate

   pastel blue

Derived Forms

• ˈpastelist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pastel¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French, from Italian pastello, from Late Latin pastellus, variant of Latin pastillus pastille

Origin of pastel²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French pastel “woad,” from Provençal, from Medieval Latin pastellum (neuter) “woad” (originally “woad paste”), for Late Latin pastellus (masculine), diminutive of pasta paste

Word History and Origins

Origin of pastel¹

C17: via French from Italian pastello, from Late Latin pastellus woad compounded into a paste, diminutive of pasta paste ¹

Example Sentences

With its its powdery pastel colors, zigzag metal canopies, space-age scoreboard and verdant terraces filled with UFO-shaped urns, Dodger Stadium lived up to the hype.

From Los Angeles Times

The food was next-level good, whether we ate dishes showcasing local ingredients, fusion cuisine that brought together Japanese and Portuguese flavors, or traditionally-prepared pastel de nata — custard tarts — and salt cod.

From Salon

Using her living room as a studio, she creates her paintings using old photos which "get reimagined" using charcoal and acrylic and occasionally mixed media such as spray paint and pastels.

From BBC

There are brushstrokes and smudges, as if the world were realized in pastels.

From Los Angeles Times

The 28-year-old started allocating to every hour a colour that represented how he was feeling at that point in time - with red being the most depressive state, and pastel blue the most positive.

From BBC

Related Words

• delicate