pastel
/pas.tɛl/
The French word for a wax or colored chalk crayon is pastel.
pastel is used to refer to a drawing medium consisting of colored chalk or wax.
Meaning: colored chalk or wax (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /pas.tɛl/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word pastel is a linguistic relative of the word 'pasta'. Both words trace their lineage back to the Ancient Greek word 'pastós', which describes something with a dough-like consistency.
- In French, if you use the word crayon instead of pastel, you are actually referring to a pencil rather than a wax stick. A wax crayon is often called a crayon de cire.
- The term pastel is used both for the drawing tool and the soft, pale range of colors it produces.
Examples in context
- J'ai besoin d'un crayon pour écrire cette lettre.I need a pencil to write this letter.
- J'adore dessiner avec des crayons de couleur.I love drawing with colored crayons.
- Tu peux me passer un crayon à papier, s'il te plaît ?Can you pass me a pencil, please?
- Les enfants s'amusent à colorier avec des crayons de dessin.The children have fun coloring with drawing crayons.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are drawing together in a room.
- ChloéHugo, peux-tu me donner le pastel vert ?Hugo, can you give me the green crayon?
- HugoOui, le voilà, Chloé.Yes, here it is, Chloé.
- ChloéMerci beaucoup !Thank you very much!
- HugoDe rien, amuse-toi bien.You're welcome, have fun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pastel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pastel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
