pen

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pen/^[1]

pen¹ for writing

Etymology

The writing instrument is inherited from Middle English penne, borrowed from Old French penne (“quill pen, feather”) and directly from Latin penna (“feather; in Late Latin, a pen”),^[2][3][4] from Old Latin petna, pesna,^[2] from Proto-Indo-European *pet- (“to rush, fly”).^[2] It is related to feather.^[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A writing instrument made from a quill: about 1280 in Barnhart, the late 13th century in Etymonline.^[3][2] In Middle English it also meant a feather, from 1373.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The earliest pens were feathers whose quills were sharpened and split to form a nib.^[6] The word was extended to any instrument for writing with fluid ink.^[2] A penknife was at first used to sharpen quills, before 1425.^[3][4] The verb, to write, is from 1490.^[3][2] Penman is from 1591 and penmanship from 1695.^[3] Pen name is from 1857 in Etymonline and 1864 in Barnhart, translating French nom de plume.^[2][3] Pen friend is from 1933 and pen pal from 1938.^[3] In later French the word means only a long feather, while plume is the writing instrument, the reverse of English.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1280 – a quill pen.^[3]
• 1373 – a feather.^[3]
• 1490 – the verb, to write.^[3]
• 1857 – pen name.^[2]
• 1938 – pen pal.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An instrument for writing or drawing with ink.
2. Writing as a profession or means of expression: the pen is mightier than the sword.

Verb

1. To write something, especially a letter or book.

pen² enclosure

Etymology

The enclosure is inherited from Middle English penne, inherited from Old English penn, of uncertain origin.^[3][2][4][6] Etymonline suggests a connection with Old English pinn “pin, peg”, from the idea of a bolted gate or a fence of pointed stakes.^[2] The verb, to shut in, is Middle English pennen, probably from Old English *-pennian, found only in onpennad “unpenned, opened”.^[3][4][5] It is related to pent.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small enclosure for domestic animals: 957.^[7][3] It is in the place name Yppelpen in 1172.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to confine or shut in, is from before 1200,^[3] and to put animals in a pen from about 1610.^[3] A device for holding back the water of a river or canal is from 1585.^[7] In the West Indies a pen was a farm or country house, from 1740.^[7] A prison cell is American from 1845, compare bullpen.^[7] A covered dock for submarines is from 1917.^[7]

Timeline

• 957 – an animal enclosure.^[7]
• before 1200 – the verb, to shut in.^[3]
• 1740 – a farm (West Indies).^[7]
• 1917 – a submarine dock.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small fenced area for keeping sheep, pigs and other animals.
2. Any small enclosure, such as a playpen.
3. A covered dock for repairing submarines.

Verb

1. To shut up an animal or person in a small space.

Related words

• pin
• penknife
• pen name
• feather
• pent
• pinion

Usage notes

Pen, a female swan, is a separate word of unknown origin from the mid-16th century.^[8] Pen, a prison, is American slang from 1884, short for penitentiary and influenced by the enclosure word.^[3][8]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press