Pencil
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈpɛnsəl/
- Rhymes: -ɛnsəl
Origin
From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (modern pinceau ("paintbrush")), from Latin diminutive peniculus ("brush"), from noun penis ("tail") + diminutive suffix -culus.
See also Old French pincel.
Full definition of pencil
Noun
pencil
(plural pencils)- (obsolete) A paintbrush.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.0:But living art may not least part expresse,
Nor life-resembling pencill it can paynt .... - 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.17:why is it not lawfull for every man to pourtray himself with his pen, as it was for him to doe it with a pensell?
- Writing utensil that uses graphite (commonly referred to as lead). Regular pencils usually have a graphite shaft surrounded by wood. Also available in a mechanical version where the graphite length can be adjusted and sharpening is not needed.
- (geometry) A family of geometric objects with a common property, such as the set of lines that pass through a given point in a projective plane.
- (optics) An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.
- (medicine, archaic) A small medicated bougie.
Derived terms
Verb
- to write something using a pencilI penciled (BrEn: pencilled) it in my notebook.
- To tentatively make a booking or appointment.I am very busy today but I can pencil you in at 3 p.m.