variants or pencil
1
: an artist's brush
2
: an artist's individual skill or style
3
a
: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
b
: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
4
: a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property
the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines
5
: something (such as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil

pencil

3 of 4

verb

penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce pencil (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil
2
: to plan or designate tentatively
—used with in
penciled him in as the nominee

pencil

4 of 4

noun (3)

pen·​cil

variant spelling of pencel

Examples of pencel in a Sentence

Noun (2) Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes. Verb He penciled some notes on a piece of paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Paper and pencils are provided, but participants are asked to bring their own journal or sketchbook and personal drawing materials. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 The prevailing and most desirable silhouette in handbags is a slim east-west carried by a thin pencil line shoulder-length top handle. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
Roberts looked, for a moment, like a genius for continuing to keep Ohtani in the lineup — and to pencil him in as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter after batting him sixth on Wednesday. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 But the construction and operation costs didn’t pencil out, Chamber CEO Tayer said. — Shay Castle, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pencel

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English pencel, from Anglo-French pencel, penuncel

Noun (2)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pencel was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pencel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencel. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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