pen

English Online Dictionary. What means pen‎? What does pen mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /pɛn/
• (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /pɪn/
• Homophone: pin (pin–pen merger)
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Etymology 1

From Middle English pen, penne (“enclosure for animals”), from Old English penn (“enclosure, fold, pen”), from Proto-Germanic *pennō, *pannijō (“pin, bolt, nail, tack”), from Proto-Indo-European *bend- (“pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pin.

Sense “prison” originally figurative extension to “enclosure for persons” (1845), later influenced by penitentiary (“prison”), being analyzed as an abbreviation (1884).

Noun

pen (plural pens)

2. An enclosure (enclosed area) used to contain domesticated animals, especially sheep or cattle.

3. (slang) A penitentiary, i.e. a state or federal prison for convicted felons.

4. (baseball) The bullpen.

Derived terms

Related terms

• pin

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English pennen, from Old English *pennian (“to close, lock, bolt”, attested in onpennian (“to open”)), derived from penn (see above). Akin to Low German pennen (“to secure a door with a bolt”).

Verb

pen (third-person singular simple present pens, present participle penning, simple past and past participle penned or pent)

1. (transitive) To enclose in a pen.

Derived terms

• pen up
• pent
• pent-up

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English penne, from Anglo-Norman penne, from Old French penne, from Latin penna (“feather”), from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ ~ pth₂én- (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to rush, fly”) (from which petition). Proto-Indo-European base also root of *petra-, from which Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing”) (whence pterodactyl), Sanskrit पत्रम् (patram, “wing, feather”), Old Church Slavonic перо (pero, “pen”), Old Norse fjǫðr, Old English feðer (Modern English feather); note the /p/ → /f/ Germanic sound change.

Doublet of panne, penna, and pinna. See feather and πέτομαι (pétomai) for more.

Noun

pen (plural pens)

2. A tool, originally made from a feather but now usually a small tubular instrument, containing ink used to write or make marks.

3. (figurative) A writer, or their style.
4. (colloquial) Marks of ink left by a pen.

5. A light pen.
6. (zoology) The internal cartilage skeleton of a squid, shaped like a pen.
7. (now rare, poetic, dialectal) A feather, especially one of the flight feathers of a bird, angel etc.
8. (poetic) A wing.
9. A syringe-like device for injecting a dose of medication such as insulin or epinephrine. (See Injector pen.)
10. Short for vapor pen (“electronic cigarette”).

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pen (third-person singular simple present pens, present participle penning, simple past and past participle penned)

1. (transitive) To write (an article, a book, etc.).

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 4

Origin uncertain. Compare hen.

Noun

pen (plural pens)

1. A female swan.

Synonyms

• swaness (rare)

Translations

Etymology 5

Clipping of penalty.

Noun

pen (plural pens)

1. (soccer, slang) Penalty.

Etymology 6

Clipping of penetration.

Noun

pen (plural pens)

1. (computing, informal) Penetration.

Derived terms

• pen test

Etymology 7

By incorrect analogy with man → men.

Noun

pen (uncountable)

2. (humorous) plural of pan

References

See also

• pin-pen merger

Anagrams

• NEP, Nep, PNe, nep

Angloromani

Alternative forms

• pan, pey

Etymology

Inherited from Romani phen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpʰen], [ˈpen], [pʰɛn]

Noun

pen

1. sister

   Synonyms: minnipen, rakla

   Sa see pal te pen? ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

References

• “pen”, in Angloromani Dictionary‎^[2], The Manchester Romani Project, 2004-2006, page 132

Cumbric

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *penn, from Proto-Celtic *kʷennom, of uncertain derivation.

Noun

pen

1. head
2. top, summit

References

• Attested in Cumbric toponymic compounds and phrasal names (Pen-y-Ghent)

Danish

Etymology 1

From late Old Norse penni, from Latin penna (“feather”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛnˀ/, [pʰɛnˀ]

Noun

pen c (singular definite pennen, plural indefinite penne)

1. pen
2. quill
3. pane, peen

Declension

Etymology 2

Adjective

pen (neuter pent, plural and definite singular attributive pene, comparative penere, superlative (predicative) penest, superlative (attributive) peneste)

1. Obsolete spelling of pæn.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch penne, ultimately from Latin penna. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛn/
• Hyphenation: pen
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

pen f (plural pennen, diminutive pennetje n)

1. a long feather of a bird
2. pen (writing utensil)
3. pin

   Synonym: pin

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: pen
• Negerhollands: pen
• → Caribbean Hindustani: pen
• → Caribbean Javanese: pèn
• → Indonesian: pen
• → Japanese: ペン (pen)
• → Papiamentu: pèn, pen, pènchi, pennetsje (from the diminutive)
• → Sranan Tongo: pen
  • → Saramaccan: peni

Anagrams

• nep

Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛ̃/

Etymology 1

From French pain (“bread”).

Noun

pen

1. bread

Derived terms

• pen griye (“toast”)
• pen mayi (“corncake”)

Etymology 2

From French pin.

Noun

pen

1. A pine tree, especially the Hispaniola pine.

References

• Targète, Jean and Urciolo, Raphael G. Haitian Creole-English dictionary (1993; →ISBN)

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɛn]
• Hyphenation: pèn

Etymology 1

From Dutch pen, from Latin penna (“feather, pen”). Doublet of pena.

Noun

pèn (first-person possessive penku, second-person possessive penmu, third-person possessive pennya)

1. (nonstandard) alternative form of pena (“pen”).
2. (medicine) pin, metal used to fasten or as a bearing.

Etymology 2

Verb

pen

1. (slang) syncopic form of pengen

Further reading

• “pen” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

pen

1. Rōmaji transcription of ペン

Mandarin

Romanization

pen

1. Nonstandard spelling of pēn.
2. Nonstandard spelling of pén.
3. Nonstandard spelling of pěn.
4. Nonstandard spelling of pèn.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mapudungun

Verb

pen (Raguileo spelling)

1. to see

   Synonym: petun

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Anglo-Norman penne.

Noun

pen

2. Alternative form of penne

Etymology 2

From Old English penn, from Proto-Germanic *pennō, perhaps from the root of pinn (“peg, pin”).

Alternative forms

• penne, peyn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛn/
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

pen

2. An enclosed structure for securing animals.

Related terms

Descendants

• English: pen
• Scots: pen

References

• “pen, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-24.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pen”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Mindiri

Noun

pen

1. woman

Further reading

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Mokilese

Noun

pen

1. coconut, especially one that coconut milk can be drunk from

Inflection

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Possibly from French.

Adjective

pen (neuter singular pent, definite singular and plural pene, comparative penere, indefinite superlative penest, definite superlative peneste)

1. nice

   pent vær ― nice weather

2. neat
3. beautiful, pretty
4. handsome, good-looking

References

• “pen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Possibly from French.

Adjective

pen (neuter singular pent, definite singular and plural pene, comparative penare, indefinite superlative penast, definite superlative penaste)

1. nice

   pent vêr ― nice weather

2. neat
3. beautiful, pretty
4. handsome, good-looking

References

• “pen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *kʷennom.

Noun

pen

1. head

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English pen [drive].

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pen

Noun

pen f (plural pens)

1. (computing) pen drive, flash drive (small portable device that connects to a computer via a USB port and is used to store and/or transfer data)

   Synonyms: chave de memória, pen-drive

   Comprei uma pen de 16 GB. ― I bought a 16 GB flash drive.

References

Rade

Etymology

Borrowed from French pince.

Noun

pen

1. pincers

Romani

Pronoun

pen

1. themselves (third-person plural reflexive pronoun)

See also

---

Tok Pisin

Etymology 1

From English paint.

Noun

pen

1. paint

Etymology 2

From English pen.

Noun

pen

1. pen

Etymology 3

From English pain.

Noun

pen

1. pain

Volapük

Noun

pen (nominative plural pens)

1. pen

Declension

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh and Old Welsh penn, from Proto-Brythonic *penn, from Proto-Celtic *kʷennom.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛn/
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

pen m (plural pennau)

1. (anatomy) head
2. chief
3. top, apex
4. end, extremity

Derived terms

Adjective

pen (feminine singular pen, plural pen, equative penned, comparative pennach, superlative pennaf)

1. head, chief

   Synonym: prif

2. supreme, principal

   Synonyms: pennol, blaenol

Mutation

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “pen”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies