Etymology : Middle English pennen, from Old English -pennian
Pronunciation : pen
Function : transitive verb
Date : 13th century
1. writing tool that contains ink; author, writer; style of writing. shed, sty; fold, yard; playpen. write. enclose, confine, fence into an enclosed area. penitentiary, jail. pen\pen\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. penned or pent ; p. pr. & vb. n. penning.] [oe. pennen, as. pennan in on-pennan to unfasten, prob. from the same source as pin, and orig. meaning, to fasten with a peg.see:
pin, n. & v.] to shut up, as in a pen or cage; to confine in a small inclosure or narrow space; to coop up, or shut in; to inclose. "away with her, and pen her up." watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve.pen \pen\ , n. [oe. penne, of. penne, pene, f. penne, fr. l. penna.].
2. a feather. [obs.].
3. a wing. [obs.].
4. an instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or other bird, but now also of other materials, as of steel, gold, etc. also, originally, a stylus or other instrument for scratching or graving. graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock. xix.
5. 4. fig.: a writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp pen. "those learned pens.".
6. (zo?l.) the internal shell of a squid.
7. [etymol. uncertain.] (zo?l.) a female swan. [prov. eng.].
8. A feather.
9. A wing.
10. An instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or other bird, but now also of other materials, as of steel, gold, etc.
11. Also, originally, a stylus or other instrument for scratching or graving.
12. Fig.: A writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp pen.
13. The internal shell of a squid.
14. A female swan.
15. To write; to compose and commit to paper; to indite; to compose; as, to pen a sonnet.
16. To shut up, as in a pen or cage; to confine in a small inclosure or narrow space; to coop up, or shut in; to inclose.
17. A small inclosure; as, a pen for sheep or for pigs. a writing implement with a point from which ink flows an enclosure for confining livestock.
18. 1. A pen is a long thin object which you use to write in ink. ballpoint pen: see:
ballpoint felt-tip pen: see felt-tip see also fountain pen.
19. If someone pens a letter, article, or book, they write it. She penned a short memo to his private secretary.
20. A pen is also a small area with a fence round it in which farm animals are kept for a short time. a holding pen for sheep see also:
playpen = enclosure.
21. If people or animals are penned somewhere or are penned up, they are forced to remain in a very small area. to drive the cattle back to the house so they could be milked and penned for the night I don't have to stay in my room penned up like a prisoner. peninsula. A female swan. A penitentiary; a prison. penned penning to write something such as a letter, a book etc, especially using a pen.