Pan″el (?), n. [Orig., a little piece; OF. panel, pannel, F. panneau, dim. of pan skirt, lappet, part or piece of a wall, side. See 2d Pane.] 1. (Arch.) A sunken compartment with raised margins, molded or otherwise, as in ceilings, wainscotings, etc.
2. (Law) (a) A piece of parchment or a schedule, containing the names of persons summoned as jurors by the sheriff; hence, more generally, the whole jury. Blackstone. (b) (Scots Law) A prisoner arraigned for trial at the bar of a criminal court. Burrill.
3. Formerly, a piece of cloth serving as a saddle; hence, a soft pad beneath a saddletree to prevent chafing.
4. (Joinery) A board having its edges inserted in the groove of a surrounding frame; as, the panel of a door.
5. (Masonry) One of the faces of a hewn stone. Gwilt.
6. (Painting) A slab or plank of wood upon which, instead of canvas, a picture is painted.
7. (Mining) (a) A heap of dressed ore. (b) One of the districts divided by pillars of extra size, into which a mine is laid off in one system of extracting coal.
8. (Dressmaking) A plain strip or band, as of velvet or plush, placed at intervals lengthwise on the skirt of a dress, for ornament.
9. A portion of a framed structure between adjacent posts or struts, as in a bridge truss.
Panel game, a method of stealing money in a panel house. — Panel house, a house of prostitution in which the rooms have secret entrances to facilitate theft by accomplices of the inmates. — Panel saw, handsaw with fine teeth, — used for cutting out panels, etc. — Panel thief, one who robs in a panel house.