Main Entry:

¹pen·cil

Pronunciation:

\ˈpen(t)-səl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English pensel, from Anglo-French pincel, from Vulgar Latin *penicellus, alteration of Latin penicillus, diminutive of peniculus brush, from diminutive of penis tail, penis

Date:

14th century

1: an artist's brush2: an artist's individual skill or style3 a: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance b: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications4: a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property <the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines>5: something (as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil