pen 1  (p ĕn)
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n.1. An instrument for writing or drawing with ink or similar fluid, especially: a. A ballpoint pen. b. A fountain pen. c. A pen point. d. A penholder and its pen point. e. A quill. 2. a. An instrument for writing regarded as a means of expression: "Tyranny has no enemy so formidable as the pen" (William Cobbett). b. A writer or an author: a hired pen. c. A style of writing: wrote plays with a witty pen. 3. A pen-shaped device containing something other than ink: an insulin pen; a vaporizer pen. 4. Any of various other pen-shaped devices, such as a laser pointer. 5. The chitinous internal shell of a squid. 6. A pen shell. 7. pens Archaic The primary feathers or wings of a bird. tr.v. penned, pen·ning, pens To write or compose: penned a letter.
[Middle English penne, from Old French, from Late Latin penna, from Latin, feather; see pet- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
penner n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pen 2  (p ĕn)
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n.1. a. A fenced enclosure for animals. b. The animals kept in such an enclosure. c. Any of various enclosures, such as a bullpen or playpen, used for a variety of purposes. 2. A roofed dock for submarines. tr.v. penned or pent (p ĕnt), pen·ning, pens To confine in or as if in a pen. See Synonyms at enclose.
[Middle English, from Old English penn.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pen 3  (p ĕn)
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[Origin unknown.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pen 4  (p ĕn)
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n. Informal A penitentiary; a prison.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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