pencil

noun

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

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

(geometry) A family of geometric objects with a common property, such as the set of lines that pass through a given point in a projective plane.

(gambling) Ellipsis of power of the pencil. [(gambling, idiomatic) The authority to charge a punter's gambling or other bills to the casino.]

(now chiefly historical) A paintbrush.

(medicine, obsolete, rare) A small medicated bougie.

verb

(transitive) To write (something) using a pencil.

(transitive) To mark with, or as if with, a pencil.

Roots

penicilluspencil- · Latin · little brush

Synonyms for pencil

penn sketchpad sketchbookn paintbrushn chalkn pasteladj maulstickn scratchboard stenciln

Synonyms & related words for pencil

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of pencil — including pen, sketchpad, sketchbook, paintbrush, chalk, pastel. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to pencil

Explore words related to pencil — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include crayoning, crayoned, ballpoint, crayons, stylograph, doodling, notepad, eraser. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for pencil

Common synonyms for pencil include pen, sketchpad, sketchbook, paintbrush, chalk, pastel, maulstick, scratchboard — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does pencil come from?

The word pencil breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root pencil-, from Latin penicillus (“little brush”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.