pen

PEN, noun [Latin penna; pinna, a fin, that is, a shoot or point.] 1. An instrument used for writing, usually made of the quill of some large fowl, but it may be of any other material. 2. A feather, a wing. [Not used.] PEN, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive penned. To write; to compose and commit to paper. PEN, noun A small inclosure for beasts, as for cows or sheep. PEN, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive penned or pent. To shut in a pen; to confine in a small inclosure; to coop; to confine in a narrow place, usually followed by up, which is redundant.