English → Latin
“pen” in Latin
pennawing (of natural or supernatural creatures); feather, especially a flight-feather; pinion; quill pencalamusa reed, cane; an object made from a reed, such as a reed pen, arrow, or fishing rod; a stalk, straw, bladestilusa stake, pale, spike; a stylus or pencil used for writing on waxen tabletsĪsidōrusa male given name, equivalent to English Isidore or Isadore
The English word pen itself goes back to Latin penna.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
pen s.
penna scriptoria, or, from context, penna only (used first in the eighth century, Isidorus, Orig., 6, 14): calamus scriptorius, or, from context, calamus only (of a reed): stilus (of metal). To split a pen, *pennam or calamum findere: to make a pen, calamum or pennam temperare (after Cic., ad Qu. Fr., 2, 14): to nib a pen, calamum or pennam exacuere (after Plin., 17, 14, 24, § 106): to dip one’s pen in (the ink, etc.), calamum or pennam intiugere (after Quint., 10, 3, 31): to lake up one’s pen, calamum (pennam) sumere; stilum prehendere; ad scribendum se conferre (jo set about writing): to be able to write with any pen, quicunque calamus in manus meas venerit, eo uti tamquam bono (Cic., ad Qu., Fr., 2, 15, no. b, § 1): to guide the pen (the hand) fur anybody, scribentis manum manu superimposita regere (Quint., 1, 1, 27): the pen does not mark, crassum atramentum pendet calamo (after Persius, 3, 11): not to touch a pen, nullam litteram scribere: nothing but what is excellent could come from the pen of such a man, *nil nisi egregium ab ejus viri scriptione prodire poterat.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for pen?
- The usual Latin words for “pen” are penna, calamus, stilus; also Īsidōrus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.