A Painter Can Be an Artist, a Decorator, or a Rope
A painter paints pictures or walls. At sea, a painter is the rope that ties a small boat to something else.
A painter paints: pictures if an artist, walls if a decorator. A third painter has nothing to do with paint at all. On a boat, the painter is the rope at the bow used to tie up, and it comes from an unrelated Old French word for a cord. Losing your painter is a genuine emergency.
- An artist who paints. *A landscape painter.*
- A decorator. *A painter and decorator.*
- A rope at a boat's bow. *Throw me the painter.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | painter | A portrait painter. |
| Plural | painters | Two painters. |
| Verb | paint | Paint the door. |
| Noun | painting | An oil painting. |
| Related | decorator | A painter and decorator. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She is a painter of some reputation.Artist.
- We have the painters in this week.British, meaning decorators are working.
- He made the painter fast to the ring.Nautical.
Painting media
- Oil — pigment in drying oil, slow to dry, blends well
- Acrylic — plastic-based, dries fast
- Watercolour — transparent, on paper
- Gouache — opaque watercolour
- Tempera — pigment bound with egg, used before oils
From *paint*, from Old French *peindre*, from Latin *pingere*, to paint — the same root as *picture* and *pigment*. The boat rope comes separately from Old French *pentoir*, a hanging cord.
Why is a boat rope called a painter?
It comes from an Old French word for a cord that hangs, unrelated to painting. The resemblance is coincidental.
Painter or decorator?
In Britain the trade is painting and decorating: painting covers paint, decorating includes wallpaper and finishes.