pencil

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A thin wooden instrument with a grey or coloured centre, used for writing or drawing.

   She sharpened her pencil before the exam.

2. 2
   verb

   To write, draw, or mark something with a pencil.

   I penciled a brief reminder in my notebook.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Pencil comes from Old French pincel, from Latin penicillum “paintbrush,” which in turn comes from penis “tail,” referring to the tuft of hair at the end of some tails. In English, pencil once meant a fine painter’s brush. Despite the resemblance, pencil and pen are unrelated.

From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Not related to pen.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary