Noun

Singular pencil

Plural pencils

pencil (plural pencils)

1. (obsolete) A paintbrush.
2. Writing utensil that uses graphite (commonly referred to as lead). Regular pencils usually have a graphite shaft surrounded by wood. Also available in a mechanical version where the graphite length can be adjusted and sharpening is not needed.

Derived terms

• charcoal pencil
• coloured pencil
• golf pencil
• grease pencil
• lead pencil
• mechanical pencil
• number 2 pencil

• pencil lead
• pencil pusher
• pencil sharpener
• pencil skirt
• pencil stub
• smencil

A pencil is a writing or drawing device consisting of a slippery, thin stick of pigment (usually graphite, but can also be colored pigment or charcoal) and clay, usually encased in a thin wood cylinder, although paper and plastic sheaths are also used. Pencils are noticeably distinct from pens, which use a liquid marking material.

History

The archetypal pencil may have been the stylus, which was a thin metal stick, often made from lead and used for scratching in papyrus, a form of early paper. They were used extensively by the ancient Egyptians and Romans. The word pencil comes from the Latin word pencillus which means "little tail".