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painter

Etymology and origin of the English word painter

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Painter, one who paints, and painter, a rope for tying a boat, are separate words, both through French.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpeɪn.tə/, US /ˈpeɪn.t̬ɚ/[4]

painter1 one who paints

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1220
Borrowed from
Old French peintour via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (pingō)

Etymology

The artist is inherited from Middle English peyntour, borrowed from Old French peintour,[1][2][5][6] from Vulgar Latin *pinctor, an alteration, influenced by Latin pingō (“to paint”), of pictor (“a painter”) (see paint).[1][5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a surname, Peintur in 1220 and Paintur in 1240;[1] an artist who paints pictures, 1340 in the OED, the early 14th century in Etymonline.[7][2]

Semantic evolution

A workman who coats surfaces with paint is from about 1400.[2][7] Figuratively, a writer who describes things in pictures is from 1570.[7] The southern constellation Pictor is the Painter (1959).[7]

Timeline

  • 1220 – Peintur (surname).[1]
  • 1340 – an artist.[7]
  • c. 1400 – a house painter.[2][7]
  • 1570 – a pictorial writer.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An artist who paints pictures.
  2. A person who paints walls, woodwork and other surfaces as a trade.

Word family

  • painterly

painter2 rope

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1336–37
Borrowed from
Old French pentoir via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (pendeō)

Etymology

The rope is inherited from Middle English peyntour, probably borrowed from Old French pentoir (“cordage for hanging”) or penteur (“strong rope”),[1][2][3][5][8] from pendre (“to hang”), from Latin pendeō (“to hang”) (see pendant).[1][5][2] Hoad and the NODE call it of uncertain origin.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A rope or chain holding an anchor to a ship's side: 1336–37 in Barnhart, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.[1][2]

Semantic evolution

It was later extended to any rope at the bow of a boat.[2] Hoad thinks the old verb paint, to make fast with a rope, is probably a back-formation from it.[3]

Timeline

  • 1336–37 – an anchor rope.[1]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A rope attached to the bow of a boat, used for tying it up or towing it.

Usage notes

Painter, a panther or cougar, is an American alteration of panther (1764 in Barnhart, 1738 in Merriam-Webster).[1][5][9] In Norfolk dialect a painter was one of the little feathers at the angle of a snipe's wing.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Painter.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/painter. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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