pen

1 of 8

verb (1)

ˈpen 

penned; penning

transitive verb

: to shut in or as if in a pen

The cattle were penned behind a wooden fence.

pen

2 of 8

noun (1)

1

a

: a small enclosure for animals

b

: the animals in a pen

a pen of sheep

2

: a small place of confinement or storage

3

: a protected dock or slip for a submarine

4

: bullpen sense 2

pen

3 of 8

noun (2)

1

: an implement for writing or drawing with ink or a similar fluid: such as

a

: quill

b

: pen point

c

: a penholder containing a pen point

d

: fountain pen

e

: ballpoint pen

2

a

: a writing instrument regarded as a means of expression

enlisted the pens of the best writers

—F. H. Chase

b

: writer

3

: the internal horny feather-shaped shell of a squid

4

: stylus sense d

5

: a medical device for injecting drugs that resembles a fountain pen, contains a cartridge prefilled with usually several doses of medication, and when designed for multiple injections has a needle that is replaced after each use

insulin pens

People accidentally exposed to a food culprit can use the pen to inject themselves with a dose of epinephrine—also known as adrenaline—to avoid a severe allergic reaction.

—Walecia Konrad

pen

4 of 8

verb (2)

penned; penning

transitive verb

: write, indite

pen a letter

pen

5 of 8

noun (3)

: a female swan

pen

6 of 8

noun (4)

: penitentiary

pen

7 of 8

abbreviation (1)

peninsula

PEN

8 of 8

abbreviation (2)

International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• box (in)
• cage
• closet
• coop (up)
• corral
• encage
• encase
• enclose
• inclose
• envelop
• fence (in)
• hedge
• hem (in)
• house
• immure
• include
• mew (up)
• wall (in)

Noun (1)

• cage
• coop
• corral
• hutch
• pound

Noun (2)

• author
• litterateur
• littérateur
• penman
• scribe
• scrivener
• writer

Verb (2)

• author
• scratch (out)
• scribble
• write

Noun (4)

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• bridewell
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• cooler
• coop
• guardroom
• hock
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• lockup
• nick [British slang]
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of pen in a Sentence

Verb (1)

remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over

Noun (1)

a goat pen

Noun (2)

Alexander Hamilton is reckoned to be the pseudonymous pen behind two thirds of the Federalist Papers

Verb (2)

though relatively unknown at the time of his death, the composer had penned some of the most memorable show tunes of his era

Noun (4)

earned six years in a federal pen

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some 7,000 French artists have penned an open letter on campaign group Adami’s website, asking streaming services to pay them based on the number of streams their shows get, rather than a flat fee. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 14 May 2024

In April, the actor penned a tribute to Michael J. Fox for TIME after Fox was included in the magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024

When MacGowan died in November 2023, Springsteen penned a tribute. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2024

Helmed by Steven Spielberg and penned by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the first installment of the Indiana Jones saga is further augmented by John Williams' haunting score and Ford's quipping, charismatic performance. —EW.com, 13 May 2024

Though Doral Mayor Christi Fraga penned her own proposal, Porras’ passed in a 4-1 vote, with the mayor being the sole dissenting voice. —Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024

Somerset Maugham wrote The Gentleman in the Parlour, his Asian travelogue, here, and Graham Greene penned The Quiet American in the hotel while on assignment from Paris Match. —Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2024

Emma Rice and Kureishi penned the adaptation, with Rice directing. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 May 2024

Mark Bomback wrote the script based off a draft penned by Zevin, who will act as an executive producer. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024

Noun

According to The Times, the brand of pens used during those signing ceremonies, as well as another leaky moment when the King signed a visitor’s book at Hillsborough Castle, was never revealed. —Stacy Lambe, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024

What might be lost as handwriting wanes The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters. —Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 11 May 2024

At two Wichita hospitals, staffers were forced to use pen and paper and announce medical emergencies over the PA system because their pagers were down, a spokesperson representing the union covering those hospitals’ employees told The Wichita Eagle. —John Hanna, Fortune, 10 May 2024

On the toolbar are two vector drawing pens, Bezier and Freeform, along with line, rectangular, circular, star, and arrow shapes. —PCMAG, 10 May 2024

This four-piece acrylic set has colorful accents of rose gold, blue, marble, green, lavender, or silver and includes a pen, stapler, staple remover, tape dispenser, and matching staples. —Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 8 May 2024

At the end of his hand was a damp pile of papers and a pen on a gray string. —Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024

Staples: From Sunday, May 5, to Saturday, May 11, teachers can get free supply kits at Staples stores; kits include markers, pens, pencils, and glue. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 5 May 2024

And of course, there ain’t nothing wrong with some good pen and paper. —Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 3 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English pennen, from Old English -pennian

Noun (1)

Middle English, perhaps from pennen

Noun (2)

Middle English penne, from Anglo-French, feather, pen, from Latin penna, pinna feather; akin to Greek pteron wing — more at feather

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1881, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pen

• ballpoint pen
• bull pen
• felt-tip pen
• fountain pen
• light pen
• pen friend
• pen in
• pen name
• pen pal
• pen point
• pen pusher
• pen up
• poison-pen
• poison-pen letter
• put pen to paper
• put/set pen to paper
• sea pen
• the pen
• with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen

Kids Definition

pen

1 of 5 noun

ˈpen 

1

: a small enclosure for animals

2

: a small place of confinement or storage

pen

2 of 5 verb

penned; penning

: to shut in a pen

pen

3 of 5 noun

: an instrument for writing or drawing with ink

pen

4 of 5 verb

penned; penning

: to write especially with a pen

pen

5 of 5 noun

slang

: penitentiary

Etymology

Noun

Middle English

Noun

Middle English penne "a writing instrument made from a bird's feather," from early French penne "a bird's feather, pen," from Latin penna, pinna "feather"

Noun

a shortened form of penitentiary

Word Origin

The words pen and pencil look very much alike, and the writing instruments themselves have much in common. But these two words are not at all related. Pen can be traced back to the Latin word penna or pinna, meaning "feather." The early pens were made of long feathers trimmed to a point to hold ink. In time, pens came to be made with metal points and later with rolling balls instead of points. For this reason we no longer associate the word pen with feathers. Pencil can be traced to the Latin word penicillus, which meant "little tail" or "brush." (It also gave us our word penicillin.) The first pencils were artists' brushes that had fine hairs drawn to a point, like the tail of a tiny animal. From these first pencils, used for painting fine lines, the word came to be used for other instruments used to draw marks. Some pencils were sticks of charcoal. Others were sticks of slate or lead. Still others were sticks of colored material like crayons. In time, we began using our modern wood and graphite pencils, which are not at all like the original "little tails."

Medical Definition

pen

noun

ˈpen 

: a medical device for injecting drugs that resembles a fountain pen, contains a cartridge prefilled with usually several doses of medication, and when designed for multiple injections has a needle that is replaced after each use

Note: Medical pens are either disposable or reusable depending on whether the cartridge can be removed and replaced with a new prefilled one.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can no longer produce insulin and patients must give themselves multiple daily injections with insulin pens or syringes …

—The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)

Illinois law allows schools to keep epinephrine pens around, and nurses or trained staff are allowed to use them in an emergency.

—Mike Riopell, The Chicago Daily Herald