pastel

Meaning

1. Any of several subdued tints of colors, usually associated with pink, peach, yellow, green, blue, and lavender.
2. A drawing made with any of those colors.
3. A type of dried paste used to make crayons.
4. A crayon made from such a paste.
5. Woad.

Synonyms

crayon

🖍️

crayon drawing

faded

gouache

light

lukewarm

pale

tepid

washy

light color

pale-hued

drawing with coloured chalk

Hyphenated as

past‧el

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpæstl̩/

Etymology

Borrowed from French pastel, from Italian pastello (“pastel”), from Medieval Latin pastellum (“dough, paste”), from Latin pasta (“dough, paste”), ultimately from Ancient Greek πάστη (pástē, “dough, paste”). Doublet of pastegh, pastiglia, pastila, pastilla, and pastille.