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pen1

Syllabification: (pen)
Pronunciation: /pen/

Translate pen | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of pen

noun

  • 1an instrument for writing or drawing with ink, typically consisting of a metal nib or ball, or a nylon tip, fitted into a metal or plastic holder.
  • (the pen) the occupation or practice of writing:she was forced to support herself not only by the pen, but as a secret agent
  • an electronic penlike device used in conjunction with a writing surface to enter commands or data into a computer.
  • 2 Zoology the tapering cartilaginous internal shell of a squid.

verb (pens, penning, penned)

[with object]
  • write or compose:he had not penned a line to Lizzie in three years

Phrases

the pen is mightier than the sword

proverb writing is more effective than military power or violence.

put (or set) pen to paper

write or begin to write something.

Origin:

Middle English (originally denoting a feather with a sharpened quill): from Old French penne, from Latin penna 'feather' (in late Latin 'pen')

pen in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pen in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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