Decal
ˈdiːkæl
Definitions
A design prepared on special paper for transferring to another surface.
ˈdiːkæl
A design on specially prepared paper for transfer onto another surface, such as glass or porcelain.
He added a racing stripe decal to his motorcycle.
💡 Simply: A decal is like a sticker you can use to decorate things. You can stick it on your water bottle, your notebook, or even your car! It’s a fun way to personalize things and make them look cool. Like when you get a fun design to stick on your skateboard.
👶 For kids: A decal is a picture that you can stick on things.
More Examples
The company uses decals to label their products.
She bought a set of glow-in-the-dark decals to put on her bedroom ceiling.
The artist created a beautiful decal of a bird in flight.
How It's Used
"The car's hood was adorned with a racing stripe decal."
"She carefully applied the butterfly decal to the ceramic vase."
From French *décalcomanie* (transfer picture), from décalquer (to transfer by tracing) + -manie (mania, obsession).
Used in the late 19th century, the term gained popularity with the advent of commercially available transfer pictures.
Memory tip
Think of 'de-call'ing an image onto something.
Word Origin
"transfer by tracing"