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guide to the dictionary

pen¹

(pĕn)

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.

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.]

penner n.

pen²

(pĕn)

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 (pĕnt), pen·ning, pens

To confine in or as if in a pen. See Synonyms at enclose.

[Middle English, from Old English penn.]

pen³

(pĕn)

A female swan.

[Origin unknown.]

pen⁴

(pĕn)

n.
Informal

A penitentiary; a prison.

[Short for PENITENTIARY.]

Pen.

abbr.

peninsula

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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Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices