Stencil Meaning
/ˈstɛnsɪl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.
nounA pattern produced using such a utensil.
Sentence Examples
Tom used a stencil to paint the sign.
I used a stencil to make this.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She used a ____ to paint the same shape on each box.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She used a plastic ____ to paint clean and perfectly even letters onto the wooden sign for the shop.
Word Origin & History
Likely a nominalization of Middle English stencellen (“to garnish with bright hues”), borrowed from Middle French estinceller (“to glisten”), from Old French estenceler (“to spark”), from Old French estencele (“spark”), from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, from metathesis of Latin scintilla (“spark”). The verb is from the noun.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"You do not necessarily need to have a stencil brush to paint over a stencil."
— 2015, Margaret Peot, Stencil Craft: Techniques for Fashion, Art and Home, Penguin, →ISBN:
"In 2013 a damaged stencil of a rat and an image of a girl hugging a bomb were painted over on the walls of a Fitzroy church by the building owner’s father-in-law, who tried to help out by painting the building while house sitting. He did not know the significance of the stencils."
— 2016 July 11, Calla Wahlquist, “Banksy stencils destroyed by construction workers in Melbourne”, in The Guardian:
"Stencilled letters were used for words and phrases, as well as for captions for some of his stencil “prints,” print being used in the sense of a multicolor woodcut."
— 2015, William Addison Dwiggins, edited by Dorothy Abbe, Stencilled Ornament and Illustration, Chronicle Books, →ISBN, page 53:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She used a ____ to paint the same shape on each box.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She used a plastic ____ to paint clean and perfectly even letters onto the wooden sign for the shop.