pen

1 of 8

verb (1)

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

pen

3 of 8

noun (2)

1
: an implement for writing or drawing with ink or a similar fluid: such as
a
: quill
b
c
: a penholder containing a pen point
2
a
: a writing instrument regarded as a means of expression
enlisted the pens of the best writersF. H. Chase
b
: writer
3
: the internal horny feather-shaped shell of a squid
4
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)

pen

7 of 8

abbreviation (1)

peninsula

PEN

8 of 8

abbreviation (2)

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

Examples of pen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The remainder of the new tracks were penned by songwriters that Nelson admires such as Shawn Camp, Mike Reid, and Bobby Tomberlin. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024 Other outspoken advocates include Debra Wilson, who left MADtv in 2003 after discovering a pay disparity between her and the show's white male cast members, and Jennifer Lawrence, who penned an essay on the subject in 2015. Shania Russell, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024 The groups that penned the letter include the Hispanic empowerment nonprofit El Centro and the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, a social justice organization. Luke Nozicka, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The script was penned by Lacombe and Haiga Jappain. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 The Mexican American artist, who penned the song in his hometown of Riverside, Calif., also plays guitar and the violin on the new heartbreak song — which will likely soon turn into an anthem, much like all of his other ultra-melancholic songs. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 Though its plot remains under wraps, the forthcoming release has been described as a sci-fi anthology film, and was penned by Lanthimos and his frequent collaborator Efthimis Filippou. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 The comic book movie division of Warner Bros. Discovery has tapped Ana Nogueira to pen the screenplay for the project. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024 Excommunicated from New York, after penning several stories exposing his socialite friends’ darkest secrets, and banished to Los Angeles, Capote seeks refuge in the home of Carson. Meredith Woerner, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
But Benedict believes this bench is merely a holding pen before an eventual layoff. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 From pen to paper to film, five standout original songs are now on their way to the Oscars. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Cosmic also comes in bundles, saving shoppers 10 percent off bottle and pen spray duo. Ayesha Rajan, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Reports state that pieces of plastic were from a marker pen, as reported to the company from consumers. The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 His pen and his brushes, which in his three-decade career have made more than 5,600 drawings, are responsible for some of the most provocative and critical images of Donald Trump. Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Explosions at a building that sold vape pens and other supplies sent gas canisters flying as far as a mile — killing a 19-year-old, local officials said. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Inside the facility were 100,000 vape pens, each with a lithium battery, plus a currently unknown number of canisters filled with nitrous oxide and butane, officials said. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Township officials said Tuesday that butane and nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, vape pens, and canisters measuring 12-18 inches and weighing 10-15 pounds exploded during the blaze at Goo. Elissa Robinson, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pen was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near pen

Cite this Entry

“Pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pen

1 of 5 noun
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
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
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on pen

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