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pencil

ˈpen(t)-səl 2 syllables common

  1. noun.an artist's brush

    • the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines
  2. noun.an artist's individual skill or style

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

  4. verb.to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil

  5. verb.to plan or designate tentatively —used with in

Origin

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.

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