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).Think about that the next time you cradle a pencil in your hand.
Monday, October 1, 2007
In a Word: Pencil
Imagine my surprise when I looked up the word pencil in the Online Etymology Dictionary:
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2 comments:
I'm thinking about it, and I'm more amused by the idea than it really merits. That, and I keep wanting to come up with bad puns.
Its merits are very small, indeed. The point is, words arise from unexpected places.
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