pencil

1 of 2

noun

pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl 

1

: an artist's brush

2

: an artist's individual skill or style

3

a

: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance

b

: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications

4

: a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property

the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines

5

: something (such as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil

pencil

2 of 2

verb

penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil

2

: to plan or designate tentatively

—used with in

penciled him in as the nominee

Examples of pencil in a Sentence

Noun

Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes.

Verb

He penciled some notes on a piece of paper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

During the search, officers found a plastic pencil box in the passenger seat containing cocaine, methamphetamine and oxycodone tablets. —Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

Throw on a pencil dress and carry a cylindrical item and call it a Bauhaus wand. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

Going forward, the analysts have penciled a 15% CAGR (compound average growth rate) for Fiem’s revenue between full-year 2024 and full-year 2027, and 19% CAGR for its earnings. —Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024

And under San Francisco Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 937, developers won’t have to pay impact fees — which are imposed by local governments on new construction — until the project is complete, a move intended to help reduce their costs and make more projects pencil out. —Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pensel, from Anglo-French pincel, from Vulgar Latin *penicellus, alteration of Latin penicillus, diminutive of peniculus brush, from diminutive of penis tail, penis

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pencil

• blue pencil
• eyebrow pencil
• grease pencil
• in pencil
• lead pencil
• mechanical pencil
• pencil case
• pencil in
• pencil pusher
• pencil sharpener
• propelling pencil
• red-pencil
• styptic pencil

Kids Definition

pencil

1 of 2 noun

pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl 

1

: an instrument for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance

2

: something like a pencil in form or use

an eyebrow pencil

pencil

2 of 2 verb

penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling

ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ

: to mark, draw, or write with or as if with a pencil

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pensel "an artist's brush, pencil," from early French pincel (same meaning), derived from Latin penicillus, literally, "little tail" — related to penicillin see Word History at ³pen

Medical Definition

pencil

noun

pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl 

1

: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications

a menthol pencil

2

: an aggregate of rays of radiation (as light) especially when diverging from or converging to a point