STENCIL

I. noun Etymology: probably ultimately from Middle English stanseld brightly ornamented, from Anglo-French estencelé spangled, past participle of estenceler to sparkle, from estencele spark, from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, alteration of Latin scintilla Date: 1707 an impervious material (as a sheet of paper, thin wax, or woven fabric) perforated with lettering or a design through which a substance (as ink, paint, or metallic powder) is forced onto a surface to be printed, something (as a pattern, design, or print) that is produced by means of a ~, a printing process that uses a ~, II. transitive verb (~ed or ~led; ~ing or ~ling) Date: circa 1828 to mark or paint with a ~, to produce by ~, ~er or ~ler noun