A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1581-1686
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]
Pencil(l, -sill, -sile, -sel, n. [e.m.E. and ME. pencel, -sel(l (14–15th c.), pensill (1581), -cil(l (16–17th c.), artist's paint-brush, etc. (Chaucer), crayon or pencil (1612), var. of Pinsel(l n.2: cf. L. pēnicillum dim. of pēniculus brush.] a. A pencil: an instrument of black lead or the like having a tapering point, for drawing lines. b. ? A fine paint-brush. c. The penis. = Pinsel(l n.2 b. —a. 1581 Transcribed Accts. (1577–1613) in Argyll Mun. 16 June.
As his tiket subscryvit with my ladeyis hand pencil upone compt bearis c1590 J. Stewart 78/201.
Thair amorus consent Quhilk proper poyntit pensile haid done prent On fontans, rocks, [etc.] c1590 Ib. 86/219.
Vith cake, vith coll, And pensile scharp alway 1672 Aberd. Trades 301.
The whole trades common necessaries such as … box, writs, bonds, pencills —b. 1629 Mure True Crucifixe 1333.
The prototype … in his [sc. the painter's] brest must first engraved bee Before his pensill … can [etc.] 1686 Lauder Notices Affairs II. 749.
In the criminall proces raised by James Bunton, painter, against [etc.] … for robbing his house and taking away his pencills and colours —c. 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 174/12 (see Pinsel(l n.2 b).
Pensel
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Pencil n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/pencill>
