pencil

[ pen-suhl ]

/ ˈpɛn səl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pencil ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a slender tube of wood, metal, plastic, etc., containing a core or strip of graphite, a solid coloring material, or the like, used for writing or drawing.

a stick of cosmetic coloring material for use on the eyebrows, eyelids, etc.

anything shaped or used like a pencil, as a stick of medicated material: a styptic pencil.

a narrow set of lines, light rays, or the like, diverging from or converging to a point: a pencil of sunlight.

a slender, pointed piece of a substance used for marking.

style or skill in drawing or delineation: He favored the late products of the artist's pencil.

Mathematics. the collection of lines, planes, or surfaces passing through a given point or set of points and satisfying a given equation or condition.

Archaic. an artist's paintbrush, especially for fine work.

verb (used with object), pen·ciled, pen·cil·ing or (especially British) pen·cilled, pen·cil·ling.

to write, draw, mark, or color with, or as if with, a pencil.

to use a pencil on.

Verb Phrases

pencil in, to schedule or list tentatively, as or as if by writing down in pencil rather than in ink: I'll pencil you in for ten o'clock.

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Question 1 of 7

What does “Indigenous” mean?

characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.

carried on abroad, or with other countries.

relating to or being a people who are the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region, or are their descendants.

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Origin of pencil

1350–1400; Middle English pencel<Middle French pincel ≪ Latin pēnicillus painter's brush or pencil, diminutive of pēniculus little tail. See penis, -cule¹

OTHER WORDS FROM pencil

pen·cil·er; especially British, pen·cil·ler, nounpen·cil·like, adjectiveun·pen·ciled, adjectiveun·pen·cilled, adjective

Words nearby pencil

pence, pencel, penchant, penché, Penchi, pencil, pencil beam, pencil box, pencil cedar, pencil crayon, pencil gate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pencil

Or, if you hate sharpening, you can consider opting for mechanical pencils.
Excellent pencils for school, work, and beyond|PopSci Commerce Team|September 16, 2020|Popular Science
To make sure that their germs stay with them, students shouldn’t share art supplies, pencils or paper, Kaushal says.
Here’s how COVID-19 is changing classes this year|Bethany Brookshire|September 8, 2020|Science News For Students
Perron worked out the first six dimensions with pencil and paper, but by the 1990s, researchers had learned how to translate Keller’s conjecture into a completely different form — one that allowed them to apply computers to the problem.
Computer Search Settles 90-Year-Old Math Problem|Kevin Hartnett|August 19, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Smooth, continuous curves are the ones you’d likely draw if you sat down with pencil and paper.
New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles|Kevin Hartnett|June 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine

There’s a famous story about the fact that no one person knows how to make a pencil.
What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat? (Ep. 412)|Stephen J. Dubner|April 9, 2020|Freakonomics
So, I had a pen and a pencil and started scribbling and drawing, and I felt good about it.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then one pencil drawing of my face, and one pencil drawing of the Genie from Aladdin.
How Aidy Bryant Stealthily Became Your Favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you saw it in front of you, your pencil would drop, your tablet would fall from your lap.
How Mork Melted the Fonz: Henry Winkler Recalls Robin Williams’s Storming ‘Happy Days’ Debut|Tim Teeman|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had a clipboard with a yellow piece of paper on it and a pencil over my ear.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The designer focused on classic sportswear cuts with fitted blazers, belted coats, and pencil skirts.
Fashion Week Dispatch: Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, Alexander Wang|Erin Cunningham|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Byrd nodded and made a few strokes with his pencil on the paper before him.
Hand and Ring|Anna Katharine Green
The very suggestion of locking up books to prevent their being carried away hurts like the screech of a pencil upon a slate.
The Patient Observer|Simeon Strunsky
Here's my map, nicely done in pencil, with all the names marked.
The Youngest Girl in the Fifth|Angela Brazil
Will you tell me how it happens that Mlle. Moreau's name and address are written in pencil on the back of this card?
Avarice-Anger:|Eugne Sue
"A hundred aces," broke in Plank's heavy voice as he played the last trick and picked up the scoring card and pencil.
The Fighting Chance|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for pencil

pencil

/ (ˈpɛnsəl) /

noun

a thin cylindrical instrument used for writing, drawing, etc, consisting of a rod of graphite or other marking substance, usually either encased in wood and sharpened or held in a mechanical metal device
(as modifier)a pencil drawing

something similar in shape or functiona styptic pencil; an eyebrow pencil

a narrow set of lines or rays, such as light rays, diverging from or converging to a point

archaic an artist's fine paintbrush

rare an artist's individual style or technique in drawing

verb -cils, -cilling or -cilled or US -cils, -ciling or -ciled (tr)

to draw, colour, or write with a pencil

to mark with a pencil

pencil in to note, arrange, include, etc provisionally or tentatively

Derived forms of pencil

penciller or US penciler, noun

Word Origin for pencil

C14: from Old French pincel, from Latin pēnicillus painter's brush, from pēniculus a little tail, from pēnis tail

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

Idioms and Phrases with pencil

pencil

see put lead in one's pencil.

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WORD OF THE DAY

pencil

noun

verb (used with object), pen·ciled, pen·cil·ing or (especially British) pen·cilled, pen·cil·ling.

Verb Phrases

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Origin of pencil

OTHER WORDS FROM pencil

Words nearby pencil

Example sentences from the Web for pencil

British Dictionary definitions for pencil

noun

verb -cils, -cilling or -cilled or US -cils, -ciling or -ciled (tr)

Derived forms of pencil

Word Origin for pencil

Idioms and Phrases with pencil

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

pencil

noun

verb (used with object), pen·ciled, pen·cil·ing or (especially British) pen·cilled, pen·cil·ling.

Verb Phrases

QUIZZES

BEAT THE DOLDRUMS WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Origin of pencil

OTHER WORDS FROM pencil

Words nearby pencil

Words related to pencil

Example sentences from the Web for pencil

British Dictionary definitions for pencil

noun

verb -cils, -cilling or -cilled or US -cils, -ciling or -ciled (tr)

Derived forms of pencil

Word Origin for pencil

Idioms and Phrases with pencil