pen
pen
Pronunciation
/pɛn/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds in each syllable:
/p/: Voiceless bilabial plosive
/ɛ/: Open-mid front unrounded vowel
/n/: Alveolar nasal
Word Form Variations
As a Noun (writing instrument):
Singular: pen
Plural: pens
As a Noun (enclosure for animals):
Singular: pen
Plural: pens
As a Noun (a female swan):
Singular: pen
Plural: pens
As a Verb (to write):
Base form: pen
Third-person singular present: pens (e.g., "She pens beautiful letters.")
Present participle: penning (e.g., "He is penning a new novel.")
Past tense: penned (e.g., "She penned a quick note.")
Past participle: penned (e.g., "The letter was penned by hand.")
As a Verb (to confine or enclose):
Base form: pen
Third-person singular present: pens (e.g., "He pens the sheep in the evening.")
Present participle: penning (e.g., "They are penning the cattle.")
Past tense: penned or pent (e.g., "The animals were penned in." or "He felt pent up.")
Past participle: penned or pent (e.g., "The dogs are penned up for the night.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
1. A writing instrument that uses ink to create marks on a surface.
Definition: A slender tool, typically tubular, containing a reservoir of ink, designed for the act of writing, drawing, or marking.
Synonyms: writing implement, ballpoint, fountain pen, marker, quill
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it's an object. Could consider "eraser" as a functional opposite in some contexts, but not a true antonym.)
2. A small enclosure, especially one used for holding animals or children.
Definition: A confined space, often fenced or walled, serving as a temporary or permanent containment area for livestock, pets, or young children.
Synonyms: enclosure, corral, paddock, cage, hutch, playpen
Antonyms: open field, wilderness, freedom
3. A female swan.
Definition: The adult female of any species of swan, distinguished from the male (cob).
Synonyms: cygnet (young swan), cob (male swan) - not true synonyms but related terms.
Antonyms: cob (male swan)
Verb
1. To write or compose something with a pen.
Definition: To create written text, a letter, a story, or a musical piece, typically by the act of using a pen or other writing instrument.
Synonyms: write, compose, draft, indite, script, author
Antonyms: erase, delete, redact, ignore, obliterate
2. To confine or enclose (animals, people, or things) within a small space.
Definition: To restrict movement or keep within a delimited area, often for the purpose of safety, control, or management.
Synonyms: confine, enclose, immure, corral, cage, coo
Antonyms: release, free, unleash, liberate, disperse, allow out
Examples of Use
Books: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... all of which I learned not from a school pen, but from the school of life." (Adaptation from Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
Newspapers: "The government announced new regulations for livestock, requiring all dairy farms to install larger pens for their cattle by next year." (The Daily Nation)
Online Publications: "Acclaimed author, Sarah Jenkins, has penned a heartfelt essay reflecting on her journey through recovery, published exclusively on Literary Hub." (Literary Hub)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the movie Paddington, Paddington Bear often uses a small pen to write letters to his Aunt Lucy.
Entertainment Platforms (Social Media): "Just spent the afternoon in the new dog pen at the park! My pup loves it. #DogLife #ParkDays" (User post on X)
General Public Discourse: "Could you please lend me your pen? I need to sign this form." (Common everyday request)
General Public Discourse: "The local animal shelter is looking for volunteers to help clean the animal pens this weekend." (Community announcement)
General Public Discourse: "She's decided to pen a memoir about her experiences living abroad." (Conversation about writing plans)
10 Quotes Using Pen
"The pen is mightier than the sword." (Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy, 1839)
"Words are also things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think." (Lord Byron, Don Juan, 1823) – This quote is often attributed to Byron to mean the pen's power.
"I like a woman who has a man's brain and a woman's heart. One that can use the pen and not the needle." (Lucy Stone, Letter to Antoinette Brown Blackwell, 1855)
"Every man's memory is his private literature." (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, 1932) – The full quote ends with "written with his own pen."
"A writer's got to write, and that's it; he's gotta put his pen to paper." (Ernest Hemingway, Interview with George Plimpton, The Paris Review, 1958)
"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul." (George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, 1903) – Shaw also stated, "I am an artist, and I am a critic. I am going to draw with my pen a portrait of you."
"Give me liberty or give me death!" (Patrick Henry, Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, 1775) – The full sentiment often implies that freedom is preferred over being penned in.
"The most important tool of all is the writer's pen, and it's a very simple thing to use." (Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, 2000)
"He who would write heroically must act heroically." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854) – Thoreau also remarked on the pen as a tool for independent thought.
"A poet's work is to name the unnamable, to point to frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep." (Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1988) – This quote implies the power of the writer's pen.
Etymology
The word "pen" actually has a couple of different origins, which explains why it has meanings that seem unrelated.
For the "writing instrument" meaning:
This sense of "pen" comes from the Late 13th century. It came into English from the Old French word "pene," which meant "quill pen" or "feather." This, in turn, came directly from the Latin word "penna," meaning "a feather" or "plume."
The earliest pens were literally made from feathers (like quill pens), so the connection between "feather" and "writing instrument" was very direct. Over time, as pens evolved to use metal points and then rolling balls, the word "pen" stuck, even though it was no longer made of a feather.
For the "small enclosure" meaning (for animals, etc.):
This use of "pen" has an older origin, going back to Old English ("penn" or "penne"). The exact origin is a bit uncertain, but it might be related to the Old English word "pinn," meaning "pin" or "peg." The idea here could be of a gate that is bolted or a structure made of pointed stakes.
So, while we use the same word "pen" for both a writing tool and an animal enclosure, they actually come from different historical roots!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Pen
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "pen":
The pen is mightier than the sword: Ideas and words have more power than violence.
To pen a letter/book/song: To write a letter, book, or song.
Pen in: To confine or trap. (e.g., "The sheep were penned in for the night.")
Pen name: A pseudonym used by a writer.
Pen pal: A person with whom one regularly exchanges letters, especially by mail, without having met them.
Put pen to paper: To begin writing.
As cross as a wet hen: (While not directly using "pen," this idiom uses a synonym for a female fowl, implying a small, confined animal's temperament.) Extremely irritable or angry.
From the pen of...: Written by (used to credit an author).
To be penned up: To be confined or restricted in a small space.
A stroke of the pen: An official decision or action, often made quickly.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of pen from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
