pen¹ (pĕn)
n.

1. An instrument for writing or drawing with ink or similar fluid, especially:
   1. A ballpoint pen.
   2. A fountain pen.
   3. A pen point.
   4. A penholder and its pen point.
   5. A quill.
2. An instrument for writing regarded as a means of expression: "Tyranny has no enemy so formidable as the pen" (William Cobbett).
3. A writer or an author: a hired pen.
4. A style of writing: wrote plays with a witty pen.
5. pens Pinions.
6. The chitinous internal shell of a squid.

tr.v., penned, pen·ning, pens.
To write or compose with or as if with a pen.

[Middle English penne, from Old French, from Late Latin penna, from Latin, feather.]

penner pen'ner n.

pen² (pĕn)
n.

1. 1. A fenced enclosure for animals.
   2. The animals kept in such an enclosure.
   3. Any of various enclosures, such as a bullpen or playpen, used for a variety of purposes.
2. A repair 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.]

pen³ (pĕn)
n.
A female swan.

[Origin unknown.]

pen⁴ (pĕn)
n. Informal
A penitentiary; a prison.

[Short for PENITENTIARY.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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