Spanish word

pincel

Pronunciation

IPA/pinˈθel/

Meaning

  • masculine nounpaintbrush

Example

El artista limpió su pincel después de pintar.

The artist cleaned his paintbrush after painting.

Illustration for pincel (paintbrush)

More examples

¿Tienes un pincel que pueda usar?

Do you have a paintbrush I can use?

Core concept

Handheld brush with a bundle of bristles for painting fine details.

Common phrases

  • tener un pincel

    have a paintbrush

  • un pincel de artista

    artist's paintbrush

Similar words

brocha: Wide-bristled brush for covering large surfaces and painting broad swaths.
cepillo: Hair brush with firm bristles for smoothing and arranging hair.

Definition in Spanish

Instrumento compuesto por un mango y un conjunto de cerdas, usado para aplicar pintura sobre una superficie.

Word origin

From Latin penicillus 'little tuft', a diminutive of penis 'tail', originally naming a small bundle of hairs used as a brush.

Usage tips

  • Spanish speakers use pincel for delicate strokes and brocha for wide, flat coverage, and the noun is masculine (el pincel).

Other meanings

  • brushnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word