pencil

¹pen·cil

noun \ˈpen(t)-səl\

Definition of PENCIL

1

: an artist's brush

2

: an artist's individual skill or style

3

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 applications

4

: 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

Examples of PENCIL

1. Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes.

Origin of PENCIL

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

First Known Use: 14th century