"pen" in seven languages
Meaningpen
Spanish
/boˈligɾafo/
masc.other source · Spanish bola 'ball' + Greek -grafo 'writer'
Usually shortened to boli; Latin America says pluma or lapicera.
French
/stilo/
masc.other source · short for stylographe, from Greek stŷlos 'pillar' (confused with Latin STILUS 'stylus')
Italian
/ˈpenna/
fem.inherited
A ballpoint is also una biro, after its inventor László Bíró.
Portuguese
/kaˈnetɐ/
fem.other source · Portuguese cana 'reed' (Latin CANNAM) + -eta
Romanian
/piks/
neut.other source · of uncertain origin (perhaps a trade name)
A fountain pen is a stilou, from French stylo.
Catalan
/buˈliɡɾəf/
masc.other source · Spanish bolígrafo (bola 'ball' + Greek -grafo 'writer')
Usually shortened to boli.
English
/pɛn/
from Latin/French · Old French penne
The Latin ancestor
PENNAM‘feather’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Writing was done with a feather (PENNA) for a thousand years; Italian kept the word, as did English pen via French. Spanish and French renamed the pen for new technology.
English relatives: pen, pennant
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¿Me prestas un boli?
- frTu me prêtes un stylo ?
- itMi presti una penna?
- ptVocê me empresta uma caneta?
- roÎmi împrumuți un pix?
- caEm deixes un boli?
- enCan you lend me a pen?