# panel

Pronunciation: say "PAN-uhl" /ˈpænəl/

## Noun

1. A usually rectangular section of a surface or covering, such as a wall, fence, or door.
   - Simple: A flat, usually rectangular piece that forms part of a wall, fence, door, or other surface.
   - _A loose panel in the fence rattled every time the wind picked up._
   - _The car's rear panels were dented in the collision._
2. A group of people gathered to judge, interview, or discuss something, for example on a television or radio broadcast.
   - Simple: A group of people chosen to judge, give opinions, or talk about something together.
   - _The panel debated the election results on last night's broadcast._
   - _Conference organizers invited three economists to sit on the panel._
3. A type of widget in a graphical user interface, such as a control panel.
   - Simple: An area on a computer screen that holds buttons, settings, or other controls.
   - _The preferences panel lets users adjust notification behavior._
   - _Drag the panel to the other side of the window to rearrange your workspace._
4. A block of text, images, or other material on a page or screen that stands apart from the main text or is marked off by a border.
   - Simple: A separate box of text or pictures on a page, apart from the main text.
   - _A shaded panel at the end of each chapter summarizes the key dates._
   - _The website's sidebar panels highlight related stories and trending topics._
5. An individual frame or drawing in a comic, typically one of several arranged in sequence on a page.
   - Simple: One box or drawing in a comic strip or comic book.
   - _The final panel reveals the villain's identity in a dramatic close-up._
   - _Manga artists often vary panel shapes to control the story's pacing._
9. A group of tests or assays administered as a set; also called a battery.
   - Simple: A set of medical tests that are done together.
   - _Her annual physical included a metabolic panel and a cholesterol test._
   - _The lab runs a full allergy panel when symptoms suggest multiple triggers._
6. A flat section of wood or other material set into a surrounding frame, often sunken or raised, as in a door, ceiling, or wainscoting.
   - Simple: A flat piece set into a frame, as in a door, wall, or ceiling.
   - _Light from the chandelier caught each recessed panel in the coffered ceiling._
   - _Craftsmen restored the oak panels of the courtroom's wainscoting._
7. A slab or plank of wood used as a surface for painting instead of canvas.
   - Simple: A flat piece of wood that an artist paints a picture on instead of cloth.
   - _The conservator examined the panel for worm damage before cleaning the paint layer._
   - _Many early Renaissance altarpieces were painted on poplar panels rather than canvas._
11. The whole jury; the complete group of jurors selected to hear a case.
   - Simple: The whole group of people picked to decide a case in court.
   - _The panel deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict._
   - _Defense counsel objected that the panel did not reflect the community's makeup._
12. A plain strip or band of fabric, such as velvet or plush, set at intervals lengthwise on the skirt of a dress for ornament.
   - Simple: A plain strip of cloth, such as velvet, sewn down a dress skirt as decoration.
   - _The gown's skirt alternated panels of midnight-blue velvet with sections of pale silk._
   - _A single plush panel ran down the front of the skirt from waist to hem._
8. An electrical device with a flat, insulated face carrying switches, dials, and meters, used to run other electrical equipment.
   - Simple: A flat board with switches, dials, and meters used to control electrical machines.
   - _A red light on the main panel warned the operators that a pump had stopped._
   - _The plant has two backup panels in case the control room loses power._

## Verb

10. To fit a room, wall, or other surface with panels.
   - Simple: To cover the walls of a room, or another surface, with flat pieces of wood or other material.
   - _The contractors will panel the conference room in walnut next month._
   - _Victorian builders often paneled entry halls to convey solidity and wealth._

## Verb

13. To enter jurors' names on the official list for a trial; to empanel. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put people's names on the official list for a jury.
14. To put a panel, a plain cushioned saddle, on the back of an animal, typically a mule or donkey. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put a simple soft saddle on an animal such as a mule or donkey.

## Noun

15. A piece of cloth that serves as a saddle. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A piece of cloth used as a simple saddle.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In a framed structure such as a bridge truss, the section between two neighboring posts or struts.
- (noun) A document listing the names of the people summoned by the sheriff to serve as jurors.
- (noun) One of the flat faces of a stone that has been hewn to shape.
- (noun) A soft pad fitted beneath the saddletree to prevent the saddle from chafing the animal's back.
- (noun) A list of doctors who could provide limited free healthcare in Britain before the National Health Service was introduced.
- (noun) In Scottish criminal courts, an accused person who has been charged and brought to the bar to be tried.
- (noun) A heap of dressed ore: ore that has been sorted and cleaned after extraction.
- (noun) One of the districts into which a mine is divided by extra-large pillars of coal, in a system of extracting coal in separate sections.

## Origin

From Middle English panel (a piece of cloth, saddle pad, or pane of glass, but also a jury list), from Anglo-Norman panel, from Vulgar Latin *pannellus, a diminutive of Latin pannus ("cloth, rag, garment"), whose earlier origin is uncertain; a link with Old English fana ("flag") has been proposed but is disputed.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/panel (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).