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peen

[peen]
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noun
  1. a wedgelike, spherical, or other striking end of a hammer head opposite the face.
verb (used with object)
  1. to enlarge, straighten, or smooth with a peen.
  2. to strengthen (a metal surface) by light hammering or by bombardment with steel balls or shot.

Origin of peen

1505–15; earlier pen < Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Norwegian pen (noun) in same sense (perhaps < German Pinne peen). See pin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for peen

peen

noun
  1. the end of a hammer head opposite the striking face, often rounded or wedge-shaped
verb
  1. (tr) to strike with the peen of a hammer or with a stream of metal shot in order to bend or shape (a sheet of metal)

Word Origin

C17: variant of pane, perhaps from French panne, ultimately from Latin pinna point
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for peen

n.

1680s, "sharp or thin end of a hammer head, opposite the face," probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian dialectal penn "peen," Old Swedish pæna "beat iron thin with a hammer"). Earlier as a verb, "to beat thin with a hammer" (1510s).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper