Search results for 'pen':

PEN abbreviation International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists.

pen¹ noun 1 a writing instrument that uses ink, formerly a quill, now any of various implements fitted with a nib (fountain pen), rotating ball (ballpoint), or felt or nylon point (felt pen). 2 this instrument as a symbol of the writing profession. verb (penned, penning) formal to compose and write (a letter, poem, etc) with a pen. penned adj written; quilled.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin penna feather.

pen² noun 1 a small enclosure, especially for animals. 2 often in compounds any small enclosure or area of confinement for the specified purpose • a playpen. 3 a bomb-proof dock for submarines. 4 Caribb a cattle farm. 5 Caribb an estate or plantation. verb (penned or pent, penning) (often pen someone or something in or up) to enclose or confine them in a pen, or as if in a pen.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon penn.

pen³ noun, N Amer colloq a penitentiary.

pen⁴ noun a female swan. See also cob¹ (sense 2), cygnet.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c.

Pen. abbreviation Peninsula.