pen

nounenclosure

nounwriting instrument
verbenclose
verbwrite

Word Origin & History

"writing implement," late 13c., from Old French pene "quill pen; feather" (12c.) and directly from Latin penna "a feather, plume," in plural "a wing," in Late Latin, "a pen for writing," from Old Latin petna, pesna, from PIE *pet-na-, suffixed form of root *pet- "to rush; to fly" (see petition (n.)).

Latin penna and pinna "a feather, plume;" in plural "a wing;" also "a pinnacle; battlement" (see pin (n.)) are treated as identical in Watkins, etc., but regarded as separate (but confused) Latin words by Tucker and others, who derive pinna from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (cf. spike (n.1)) and see the "feather/wing" sense as secondary.

In later French, this word means only "long feather of a bird," while the equivalent of English plume is used for "writing implement," the senses of the two words thus are reversed from the situation in English. Pen-and-ink (adj.) is attested from 1670s. Pen name is recorded from mid-19c.

Example Sentences for pen

There was a pen the nibs of which were of ruby, set in gold, made by Doughty.

There is a reference to “pen and ink” in the 3d Epistle of John xiii.

But here, run away with my pen, I suffer my mother to be angry with me on her own account.

I lay down my pen here, that you may consider of it a little, if you please.

And I cannot tell what turn my mind had taken to dictate so oddly to my pen.

They were performed by those who could better wield the sword than the pen.

Indeed, by some, it was not supposed to be from his Lordship's pen at all.

Even now, Burke did not look up, and his pen continued to hurry over the paper.

He waited until he saw her sit down at the desk and take up a pen.

What I suffered then, and still suffer, is not for pen to write or paper to record.

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