pencil

CEFRA1

/ˈpɛnsəl/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A thin writing tool with a dark material inside.

  2. 02

    verb

    To write or schedule something provisionally.

Examples

  • You nearly poked me in the eye with your pencil.

  • I'll get a pencil and paper.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpɛntsəl/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper.

  2. An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.

  3. A paintbrush.

More examples

In context

  • I penciled (BrE: pencilled) a brief reminder in my notebook.

  • You dropped your pencil.

  • But living art may not least part expresse, / Nor life-resembling pencill it can paynt[…].

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She used a sharp blank to write down the teacher's important notes.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Not related to pen.