pen

pen
\ \ English has three words pen. The oldest, ‘enclosure’ [OE], is something of a mystery term. It has no known relatives in the other European languages, and even in English it is not unequivocally found in its current sense until the 14th century. Pent [16], as in ‘pent up’, originated in the past participle of the verb pen.
\ \ The earliest writing implements known as ‘pens’ were of course made from feathers, and so it is not surprising that the word pen [13] comes from a word that meant ‘feather’. This was Latin penna, source also of English pennon [14] and a distant relative of English feather. It entered English via Old French penne. Penfemale swan’ [16] is of unknown origin.
\ \ Cf.PENT; FEATHER, PENNON

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • pen — pen·al·ty; pen·ance; pen·cil; pen·dant; pen·dent; pen·den·tive; pen·du·line; pen·e·trant; pen·i·tent; pen·i·ten·tial; pen·i·ten·tia·ry; pen·man; pen·nat·u·lar·i·an; pen·ner; pen·sion; pen·sion·ary; pen·ste·mon; pen·ta·gon; pen·tam·e·ter;… …   English syllables

  • Pen — Pen, n. [OE. penne, OF. penne, pene, F. penne, fr. L. penna.] 1. A feather. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. A wing. [Obs.] Milton. [1913 Webster] 3. An instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pen — oder Pen steht für: P.E.N., die internationale Schriftstellervereinigung poets essayists novelists PEN Leiter, ein Schutzleiter mit Neutralleiterfunktion, Elektrotechnik PEN, ISO 4217 Code der peruanischen Währung Nuevo Sol Pen (Software), eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • PEN — oder Pen steht für: Flughafen Penang in Malaysia als IATA Code P.E.N., internationale Schriftstellervereinigung poets essayists novelists PEN Leiter, Schutzleiter mit Neutralleiterfunktion, Elektrotechnik Nuevo Sol, peruanische Währung im ISO… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pen² — Pen Pen Dans Evangelion, Pen Pen (ou Pen²) est un pingouin d eau chaude (en réalité un manchot), fidèle compagnon de Misato Katsuragi. Sommaire 1 Histoire 2 Caractéristiques 2.1 Apparence 2.2 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • pen — pen1 [pen] n. [ME < OE penn, prob. akin to pinn,PIN] 1. a small yard or enclosure for domestic animals 2. the animals so confined 3. any small enclosure vt. penned or pent, penning to confine or …   English World dictionary

  • pen — Ⅰ. pen [1] ► NOUN 1) an instrument for writing or drawing with ink. 2) an electronic device used with a writing surface to enter commands into a computer. 3) the tapering internal shell of a squid. ► VERB (penned, penning) …   English terms dictionary

  • PEN — may refer to: International PEN, the worldwide association of writers Penang International Airport in Penang, Malaysia (IATA airport code) Penarth railway station, Wales; National Rail station code PEN PEN, the ISO 4217 code for Peruvian nuevo… …   Wikipedia

  • pen — peñ adv. Nm, pen ben, bent: Tai pen vyras! Lp. Duokime tam daiktui pen vieną pavaizdą DP522. Nekurie ... liepia, idant pen vieną šlakelį pašvęsto vyno įlietų ing vandenį DP139. Nuleidę pen maž akis nuog sūnaus, žvilgterėkime ant mielos motinos… …   Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language

  • Pen — Pen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Penned}or {Pent} (?); p. pr. & vb. n. {Penning}.] [OE. pennen, AS. pennan in on pennan to unfasten, prob. from the same source as pin, and orig. meaning, to fasten with a peg.See {Pin}, n. & v.] To shut up, as in a pen… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pen — Pen, n. [From {Pen} to shut in.] A small inclosure; as, a pen for sheep or for pigs. [1913 Webster] My father stole two geese out of a pen. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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