I. ˈpen(t)-səl noun
Etymology: 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
Date: 14th century
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 (as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil
II. transitive verb
( -ciled or -cilled ; -cil·ing or pen·cil·ling -s(ə-)liŋ)
Date: circa 1532
1. : to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil
2. : to plan or designate tentatively — used with in
pencil ed him in as the nominee