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stencil

Pronunciation: /ˈstɛnsɪl, -s(ə)l/

Translate stencil | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of stencil

noun

  • a thin sheet of card, plastic, or metal with a pattern or letters cut out of it, used to produce the cut design on the surface below by the application of ink or paint through the holes: [as modifier]:stencil designs such as fruit
  • a design produced by a stencil:a floral stencil around the top of the room

verb (stencils, stencilling, stencilled; US stencils, stenciling, stenciled)

[with object]
  • decorate (a surface) with a stencil:the walls had been stencilled with designs (as noun stencilling)the art of stencilling
  • produce (a design) with a stencil:stencil a border around the door (as adjective stencilled)the stencilled letters

Origin:

early 18th century: from earlier stansel 'ornament with various colours' (based on Latin scintilla 'spark')

Spelling rule

Double the l when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words which end in a vowel plus l (as in travel): (stencils, stencilling, stencilled).

stencil in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of stencil in the US English dictionary

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