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pen

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Pronunciation

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.
  • 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