n.
- a crayon made of powdered pigments bound with gum or resin.
▸a work of art created using pastels.
- a soft and delicate shade of a colour.
adj.
of or denoting such a shade:
pastel blue curtains.
Derivative
- pastellist
(also pastelist)
n.
Etymology
C17: via Fr. from Ital. pastello, dimin. of pasta ‘paste’.