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Pencilled

 - 4 dictionary results

pen⋅cil

  [pen-suhl] noun, verb, -ciled, -cil⋅ing or (especially British) -cilled, -cil⋅ling.
Use Pencilled in a Sentence
–noun
1. a slender tube of wood, metal, plastic, etc., containing a core or strip of graphite, a solid coloring material, or the like, used for writing or drawing.
2. a stick of cosmetic coloring material for use on the eyebrows, eyelids, etc.
3. anything shaped or used like a pencil, as a stick of medicated material: a styptic pencil.
4. a narrow set of lines, light rays, or the like, diverging from or converging to a point: a pencil of sunlight.
5. a slender, pointed piece of a substance used for marking.
6. style or skill in drawing or delineation: He favored the late products of the artist's pencil.
7. Mathematics. the collection of lines, planes, or surfaces passing through a given point or set of points and satisfying a given equation or condition.
8. Archaic. an artist's paintbrush, esp. for fine work.
–verb (used with object)
9. to write, draw, mark, or color with, or as if with, a pencil.
10. to use a pencil on.
—Verb phrase
11. pencil in, to schedule or list tentatively, as or as if by writing down in pencil rather than in ink: I'll pencil you in for ten o'clock.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME pencel < MF pincel ≪ L pēnicillus painter's brush or pencil, dim. of pēniculus little tail. See penis, -cule 1

Related forms:
pen⋅cil⋅er; especially British, pen⋅cil⋅ler, noun
pen⋅cil⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Pencilled
pen·cil   (pěn'səl)   
n.  

  1. A narrow, generally cylindrical implement for writing, drawing, or marking, consisting of a thin rod of graphite, colored wax, or similar substance encased in wood or held in a mechanical holder.

  2. Something shaped or used like a pencil, especially a narrow medicated or cosmetic stick: an eyebrow pencil.

    1. A style or technique in drawing or delineating.

    2. Descriptive skill: "His characters are drawn with a strong pencil" (Henry Hallam).

    3. An artist's brush, especially a fine one.

  4. Physics A beam of radiant energy in the form of a narrow cone or cylinder.

  5. Mathematics A family of geometric objects, such as lines, that have a common property, such as passage through a given line in a given plane.

tr.v.   pen·ciled also pen·cilled, pen·cil·ing also pen·cil·ling, pen·cils also pen·cils

  1. To write or produce by using a pencil.

  2. To mark or color with or as if with a pencil.

Phrasal Verb(s):
pencil in

  1. To schedule tentatively: penciled in a staff meeting for 3:00.

  2. To schedule a tentative appointment with: penciled him in for lunch next Monday.


[Middle English pencel, artist's brush, from Old French pincel, peincel, from Vulgar Latin *pēnicellus, alteration of Latin pēnicillus, diminutive of pēniculus, diminutive of pēnis, tail, brush; see pes- in Indo-European roots.]
pen'cil·er, pen'cil·ler n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pencil 
c.1386, "an artist's fine brush of camel hair," from O.Fr. pincel "artist's paintbrush" (Fr. pinceau), from L. penicillus "paintbrush, pencil," lit. "little tail," dim. of peniculus "brush," itself a dim. of penis "tail" (see penis). Small brushes formerly used for writing before modern lead or chalk pencils; meaning "graphite writing implement" apparently evolved late 16c. Derogatory slang pencil-pusher "office worker" is from 1881; pencil neck "weak person" first recorded 1973. To pencil (something) in "arrange tentatively" is attested from 1942.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pen·cil
Pronunciation: 'pen(t)-s&l
Function: noun
1 : a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications pencil>
2 : an aggregate of rays of radiation (as light) especially when diverging from or converging to a point
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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