pencil

[ pen-suh l ]

/ ˈpɛn səl /

SEE MORE 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.

Words nearby pencil

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pencil

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.

pencil

noun

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

Verb Phrases

Content related to pencil

Words related to pencil

Words nearby pencil

Origin of pencil

OTHER WORDS FROM pencil

Examples 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