pen


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pen 1

 (pĕn)
n.
1. An instrument for writing or drawing with ink or similar fluid, especially:
a. A ballpoint pen.
b. A fountain pen.
c. A pen point.
d. A penholder and its pen point.
e. A quill.
2.
a. An instrument for writing regarded as a means of expression: "Tyranny has no enemy so formidable as the pen" (William Cobbett).
b. A writer or an author: a hired pen.
c. A style of writing: wrote plays with a witty pen.
3. A pen-shaped device containing something other than ink: an insulin pen; a vaporizer pen.
4. Any of various other pen-shaped devices, such as a laser pointer.
5. The chitinous internal shell of a squid.
6. A pen shell.
7. pens Archaic The primary feathers or wings of a bird.
tr.v. penned, pen·ning, pens
To write or compose: penned a letter.

[Middle English penne, from Old French, from Late Latin penna, from Latin, feather; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]

pen′ner n.

pen 2

 (pĕn)
n.
1.
a. A fenced enclosure for animals.
b. The animals kept in such an enclosure.
c. Any of various enclosures, such as a bullpen or playpen, used for a variety of purposes.
2. A roofed dock for submarines.
tr.v. penned or pent (pĕnt), pen·ning, pens
To confine in or as if in a pen. See Synonyms at enclose.

[Middle English, from Old English penn.]

pen 3

 (pĕn)
n.
A female swan.

[Origin unknown.]

pen 4

 (pĕn)
n. Informal
A penitentiary; a prison.

[Short for penitentiary.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pen

(pɛn)
n
1. an implement for writing or drawing using ink, formerly consisting of a sharpened and split quill, and now of a metal nib attached to a holder. See also ballpoint, fountain pen
2. the writing end of such an implement; nib
3. style of writing
4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) writing as an occupation
5. (Professions) writing as an occupation
6. (Zoology) the long horny internal shell of a squid
vb, pens, penning or penned
(tr) to write or compose
[Old English pinne, from Late Latin penna (quill) pen, from Latin: feather]

pen

(pɛn)
n
1. (Agriculture) an enclosure in which domestic animals are kept: sheep pen.
2. any place of confinement
3. (Nautical Terms) a dock for servicing submarines, esp one having a bombproof roof
vb, pens, penning, penned or pent
(tr) to enclose or keep in a pen
[Old English penn, perhaps related to pin]

pen

(pɛn)
n
(Law) informal US and Canadian short for penitentiary1

pen

(pɛn)
n
(Animals) a female swan
[C16: of unknown origin]

PEN

(pɛn)
n acronym for
(Literary & Literary Critical Movements) International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pen1

(pɛn)

n., v. penned, pen•ning. n.
1. any of various instruments for writing or drawing with ink or a similar substance.
2. a detachable metal penpoint; nib.
3. such a penpoint with its holder.
4. the pen as a symbol of authorship.
5. a writer.
v.t.
7. to write or draw with or as if with a pen: to pen an essay.
Compare ballpoint, fountain pen, quill (def. 3).
[1250–1300; Middle English penne < Old French penne pen, feather < Late Latin penna, Latin: feather]
pen′ner, n.

pen2

(pɛn)

n., v. penned, pen•ning. n.
1. a small enclosure for domestic animals.
2. the animals so enclosed.
5. a dock used in the repair of submarines.
v.t.
6. to confine in or as if in a pen.
[before 1000; Middle English penne, Old English penn (in compounds); perhaps akin to pin]

pen3

(pɛn)

n.
[1880–85; Amer.; shortened form]

pen4

(pɛn)

n.
a female swan.
[1540–50; orig. uncertain]

Pen.

or pen.,

peninsula.

P.E.N.

International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pen

  • lapsus calami, lapsus memoriae - A lapsus calami is a slip of the pen; a lapsus memoriae is a slip of the memory.
  • ruling pen - A type of pen used in graphic design and calligraphy for drawing precise lines of various thicknesses.
  • nom de plume - Literally "name of the pen," meaning "pseudonym."
  • trait - A stroke of a pen or pencil.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

pen


Past participle: penned
Gerund: penning

Imperative
pen
pen
Present
I pen
you pen
he/she/it pens
we pen
you pen
they pen
Preterite
I penned
you penned
he/she/it penned
we penned
you penned
they penned
Present Continuous
I am penning
you are penning
he/she/it is penning
we are penning
you are penning
they are penning
Present Perfect
I have penned
you have penned
he/she/it has penned
we have penned
you have penned
they have penned
Past Continuous
I was penning
you were penning
he/she/it was penning
we were penning
you were penning
they were penning
Past Perfect
I had penned
you had penned
he/she/it had penned
we had penned
you had penned
they had penned
Future
I will pen
you will pen
he/she/it will pen
we will pen
you will pen
they will pen
Future Perfect
I will have penned
you will have penned
he/she/it will have penned
we will have penned
you will have penned
they will have penned
Future Continuous
I will be penning
you will be penning
he/she/it will be penning
we will be penning
you will be penning
they will be penning
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been penning
you have been penning
he/she/it has been penning
we have been penning
you have been penning
they have been penning
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been penning
you will have been penning
he/she/it will have been penning
we will have been penning
you will have been penning
they will have been penning
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been penning
you had been penning
he/she/it had been penning
we had been penning
you had been penning
they had been penning
Conditional
I would pen
you would pen
he/she/it would pen
we would pen
you would pen
they would pen
Past Conditional
I would have penned
you would have penned
he/she/it would have penned
we would have penned
you would have penned
they would have penned
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.pen - a writing implement with a point from which ink flowspen - a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
ballpen, ballpoint, ballpoint pen, Biro - a pen that has a small metal ball as the point of transfer of ink to paper
felt tip, felt-tip pen, felt-tipped pen, Magic Marker - a pen with a writing tip made of felt (trade name Magic Marker)
fountain pen - a pen that is supplied with ink from a reservoir in its barrel
nib, pen nib - the writing point of a pen
quill, quill pen - pen made from a bird's feather
Sharpie - a pen with indelible ink that will write on any surface
writing implement - an implement that is used to write
2.pen - an enclosure for confining livestock
cattle pen, corral, cow pen - a pen for cattle
creep - a pen that is fenced so that young animals can enter but adults cannot
enclosure - a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose
sheep pen, sheepcote, sheepfold, fold - a pen for sheep
holding paddock, holding pen, holding yard - a pen where livestock is temporarily confined
kraal - a pen for livestock in southern Africa
paddock - pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
pinfold - a pen where stray animals are confined
rodeo - an enclosure for cattle that have been rounded up
pigpen, pigsty, sty - a pen for swine
3.pen - a portable enclosure in which babies may be left to playpen - a portable enclosure in which babies may be left to play
enclosure - a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose
4.pen - a correctional institution for those convicted of major crimespen - a correctional institution for those convicted of major crimes
correctional institution - a penal institution maintained by the government
5.pen - female swan
swan - stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
Verb1.pen - produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote four novels"
authorship, penning, writing, composition - the act of creating written works; "writing was a form of therapy for him"; "it was a matter of disputed authorship"
draw - write a legal document or paper; "The deed was drawn in the lawyer's office"
create verbally - create with or from words
lyric - write lyrics for (a song)
write about, write of, write on - write about a particular topic; "Snow wrote about China"
profile - write about; "The author of this article profiles a famous painter"
paragraph - write paragraphs; work as a paragrapher
paragraph - write about in a paragraph; "All her friends were paragraphed in last Monday's paper"
write off - write something fluently, and without hesitation
dash off, fling off, scratch off, toss off, knock off - write quickly; "She dashed off a note to her husband saying she would not be home for supper"; "He scratched off a thank-you note to the hostess"
rewrite - rewrite so as to make fit to suit a new or different purpose; "re-write a play for use in schools"
write copy - write for commercial publications; "She writes copy for Harper's Bazaar"
dramatise, dramatize, adopt - put into dramatic form; "adopt a book for a screenplay"
draft, outline - draw up an outline or sketch for something; "draft a speech"
poetise, poetize, verse, versify - compose verses or put into verse; "He versified the ancient saga"
author - be the author of; "She authored this play"
annotate, footnote - add explanatory notes to or supply with critical comments; "The scholar annotated the early edition of a famous novel"
reference, cite - refer to; "he referenced his colleagues' work"
publish, write - have (one's written work) issued for publication; "How many books did Georges Simenon write?"; "She published 25 books during her long career"
write out, write up - put into writing; write in complete form; "write out a contract"
script - write a script for; "The playwright scripted the movie"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pen

1
verb write (down), draft, compose, pencil, draw up, scribble, take down, inscribe, scrawl, jot down, dash off, commit to paper She penned a short memo to his private secretary.
Quotations
"Beneath the rule of men entirely great"
"The pen is mightier than the sword" [Edward Bulwer-Lytton Richelieu]

pen

2
noun
1. enclosure, pound, fold, cage, coop, hutch, corral (chiefly U.S. & Canad.), sty a holding pen for sheep
verb
1. enclose, confine, cage, pound, mew (up), fence in, impound, hem in, coop up, hedge in, shut up or in The cattle had been milked and penned for the night.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pen 1

verb
To be the author of (a published work or works):

pen 2

verb
To confine within a limited area:
cage, coop (in or up), enclose, fence (in), immure, mew (up), shut in, shut up, wall (in or up).

pen 3

noun
Informal. A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention:
Informal: lockup.
Chiefly Regional: calaboose.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حَظيرَهقَلَمقَلَمٌ
perochlévkotecohrádka
=-foldfoldkuglepenpen
plumo
häkkikarsinakuulakärkikynäselli
kemijska olovkaolovkapero
toll
penpena
pennistía, rétt, kví
ペン
aizgaldsaplokspildspalvarakstāmspalva
perostaja
bläckpennapenna
ปากกา
bút

pen

1 [pen]
A. N (= fountain pen) → (pluma f) estilográfica f, pluma f, pluma f fuente (LAm); (= ballpoint) → bolígrafo m; (= felt tip) → rotulador m
to live by the or one's penganarse la vida escribiendo
to put pen to paperponerse a escribir
to wield a pen (liter) → menear cálamo
see also marker, slip A2
B. VT [+ letter, article, book] → escribir; [+ poem, song] → componer
C. CPD pen-and-ink drawing Ndibujo m a pluma
pen friend Namigo/a m/f por correspondencia
pen name Nseudónimo m, nombre m de guerra
pen nib Npunta f (de pluma)
pen pal N = pen friend pen wiper Nlimpiaplumas m inv

pen

2 [pen]
A. N
1. (= enclosure) (for cattle) → corral m; (for sheep) → redil m, aprisco m; (for bulls) → toril m; (= playpen) → parque m (de niño), corral m
2. (US) (= prison) (also penitentiary) → cárcel f, chirona f (Sp)
B. VT [+ animal] → encerrar, acorralar; [+ person] I've been penned in the kitchen all dayhe estado metida en la cocina todo el día
pen in VT + ADV [+ animal] → encerrar, acorralar
she was penned in by the crowdse encontraba acorralada por la muchedumbre
the French had the enemy penned inlos franceses tenían al enemigo cercado
pen up VT + ADV [+ animal] = pen in

pen

3 [pen] N (Orn) → cisne m hembra
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pen

[ˈpɛn]
n
(for writing)stylo m
to put pen to paper → prendre la plume
(= enclosure) (for sheep)parc m
(US) (= prison) → taule f
the pen → la taule
in the pen → en taule
vt
(= write) [+ letter, memo] → écrire
pen in
vt sep
to be penned in [animal] → être parqué(e); [person] → être parqué(e)
pen up
vt sep
to be penned up [animal] → être parqué(e)
The cattle were penned up for the night → On a parqué le bétail pour la nuit.; [one person] → être enfermé(e)
I had to stay in my room, penned up like a prisoner → J'ai dû rester dans ma chambre, enfermé comme un prisonnier.; [group of people] → être parqué(e)
They were penned up in there for weeks → Ils sont restés parqués là pendant des semaines.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pen

:
pen pal
n (inf)Brieffreund(in) m(f)
penpusher
penpushing
nSchreiberei f, → Schreibkram m
adjSchreib-; pen workSchreibarbeit f; pen clerkBürohengst m (inf)

pen

1
n (= dip pen)Feder f; (= fountain pen)Füllfederhalter m, → Füller m; (= ball-point pen)Kugelschreiber m, → Kuli m (inf); to put pen to paperzur Feder greifen; the pen is mightier than the sword (prov) → die Feder ist mächtiger als das Schwert
vtniederschreiben; poem etc alsoverfassen

pen

2
n
(for cattle etc) → Pferch m; (for sheep) → Hürde f; (for pigs) → Koben m; (= play pen)Laufstall m, → Ställchen nt, → Laufgitter nt
(US inf: = prison) → Bau m (inf), → Knast m (inf)
(for submarines) → Bunker m
vteinsperren

pen

3
n (= swan)weiblicher Schwan
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pen

1 [pɛn]
1. n (for animals) → recinto, chiuso; (playpen) → box m inv (Am) (fam) (prison) → gattabuia
2. vt (also pen in, pen up) → rinchiudere

pen

2 [pɛn]
1. n (gen) → penna; (felt-tip pen) → pennarello
to put pen to paper → prendere la penna in mano
2. vt (frm) → scrivere
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pen1

(pen) noun
a small enclosure, usually for animals. a sheep-pen.

pen2

(pen) noun
an instrument for writing in ink. My pen needs a new nib.
ˈpen-friend, ˈpen-pal nouns
a usually young person (usually living abroad) with whom another (usually young) person regularly exchanges letters. My daughter has pen-friends in India and Spain.
ˈpen-knife noun
a pocket-knife with blades which fold into the handle.
ˈpen-name noun
a name used by a writer instead of his own name. Samuel Clemens used the pen-name of Mark Twain.
pen-palpen-friendabove
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

pen

قَلَمٌ pero kuglepen Füller στυλό bolígrafo kuulakärkikynä stylo olovka penna ペン pen penn pióro caneta ручка bläckpenna ปากกา kalem bút 书写笔
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

pen

n pluma; insulin — pluma de insulina, dispositivo tipo pluma para la inyección de insulina
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Anybody can see that between the last paragraph of "An Outcast" and the first of "The Lagoon" there has been no change of pen, figuratively speaking.
He was kept chained in a pen at the rear of the fort, and here Beauty Smith teased and irritated and drove him wild with petty torments.
One morning Mr Sampson Brass sat upon his stool copying some legal process, and viciously digging his pen deep into the paper, as if he were writing upon the very heart of the party against whom it was directed; and Miss Sally Brass sat upon her stool making a new pen preparatory to drawing out a little bill, which was her favourite occupation; and so they sat in silence for a long time, until Miss Brass broke silence.
Once crowded in here, the creatures were prisoned, each in a separate pen, by gates that shut, leaving them no room to turn around; and while they stood bellowing and plunging, over the top of the pen there leaned one of the "knockers," armed with a sledge hammer, and watching for a chance to deal a blow.
Miss Dunross laid down her pen, and slowly turned her head to look at me.
"Yes; I am a supercargo; pen, ink, and paper are my tools, and without my tools I am fit for nothing."
Then he was set at liberty, but on condition that he should use his pen to support the Government.
He pointed to a sort of wooden pen just in front of the quarter- deck.
"I have spent five hundred pounds this morning with a scrape of my pen. And, only a week since, I yielded to temptation and made an addition to my picture-gallery." She looked, as she said those words, towards an archway at the further end of the room, closed by curtains of purple velvet.
Raoul had been there about ten minutes, during five of which he was lost in reverie, when there appeared within the circle comprised in his rolling gaze a man with a rubicund face, who, with a napkin around his body, another under his arm, and a white cap upon his head, approached him, holding paper, pen and ink in hand.
Take the pen in hand again, and leave the money to Admiral Bartram."
So engrossed was the Butcher, he heeded them not, As he wrote with a pen in each hand, And explained all the while in a popular style Which the Beaver could well understand.