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definitions

pen

1
[pen]
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noun

verb (used with object), penned, pen·ning.

to write with or as with a pen; put down in writing: to pen an essay.
to draw with or as with a pen: to pen a sketch.

Origin of pen

1
1250–1300; Middle English penne < Old French penne pen, feather < Late Latin penna, Latin: feather
Related formspen·like, adjectivepen·ner, noun

pen

2
[pen]

noun

a small enclosure for domestic animals.
animals so enclosed: We have a pen of twenty sheep.
an enclosure used for confinement or safekeeping: We have built several pens to hold our harvest of corn.
playpen.
bull pen.
a dock having a protective concrete structure overhead, used to service and repair submarines.

verb (used with object), penned or pent, pen·ning.

to confine in or as in a pen.

Origin of pen

2
before 1000; (noun) Middle English penne, Old English penn (in compounds); perhaps akin to pin; (v.) Middle English pennen, derivative of the noun

pen

3
[pen]

noun Slang.

penitentiary(def 1).

Origin of pen

3
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; shortened form

pen

4
[pen]

noun

a female swan.

Origin of pen

4
First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Pen.

or pen.

peninsula.

pen-

variant of pene- before a vowel: penannular.

P.E.N.

International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pen

cage, stick, marker, compose, penitentiary, coop, fence, wall, corral, fold, hutch, jail, prison, hedge, sty, nib, reed, quill, box, case

Examples from the Web for pen

Contemporary Examples of pen

Historical Examples of pen

British Dictionary definitions for pen

pen

1

noun

an implement for writing or drawing using ink, formerly consisting of a sharpened and split quill, and now of a metal nib attached to a holderSee also ballpoint, fountain pen
the writing end of such an implement; nib
style of writing
the pen
  1. writing as an occupation
  2. the written wordthe pen is mightier than the sword
the long horny internal shell of a squid

verb pens, penning or penned

(tr) to write or compose

Word Origin for pen

Old English pinne, from Late Latin penna (quill) pen, from Latin: feather

pen

2

noun

an enclosure in which domestic animals are keptsheep pen
any place of confinement
a dock for servicing submarines, esp one having a bombproof roof

verb pens, penning, penned or pent

(tr) to enclose or keep in a pen

Word Origin for pen

Old English penn, perhaps related to pin

pen

3

noun

US and Canadian informal short for penitentiary (def. 1)

pen

4

noun

a female swan

Word Origin for pen

C16: of unknown origin

PEN

n acronym for

International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists

Pen.

abbreviation for

Peninsula
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 pen
n.1

"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.

n.2

"enclosure for animals," Old English penn, penne, "enclosure, pen, fold," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Old English pinn "pin, peg" (see pin (n.)) on notion of a bolted gate or else "structure made of pointed stakes."

v.1

late 15c., from pen (n.). Related: Penned; penning.

v.2

"to enclose in a pen," c.1200, from Old English *pennian, from the source of pen (n.2). Related: Penned; penning.

n.3

slang, "prison," 1884, shortening of penitentiary; earlier use (1845) probably is a figurative extension of pen (n.2).

pen-

Brythonic for "head;" common in place names in Cornwall and Wales (e.g. Penzance, see also Pendragon).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with pen

pen

see slip of the lip (pen).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.