Penknife, pen′nīf, n. a small knife, originally for making and mending quill pens.
Penman, pen′man, n. a man skilled in the use of the pen: an author:—pl. Pen′men.—n. Pen′manship, the use of the pen: art or manner of writing.
Penna, pen′a, n. a feather, esp. one of the large feathers of the wings or tail.—adj. Pennā′ceous. [L.]
Pennal, pen′al, n. a freshman at a German university—so called from their pennales or pen-cases.—n. Penn′alism, a system of fagging once in vogue at German universities.
Pen-name, pen′-nām, n. a name, other than his real one, by which an author is known to the public: a nom de plume.
Pennant, pen′ant, n. a flag many times as long as it is wide: a streamer: a long narrow piece of bunting at the mast-heads of war-ships.—Also Penn′on. [Pennant is formed from pennon, with excrescent t; pennon is Fr. pennon—L. penna, a wing.]
Pennate, -d, pen′āt, -ed, adj. winged: (bot.) same as Pinnate.—adj. Pennatif′id (see Pinnatifid).—n. Penne (Spens.), a feather.—adj. Penned, having wings: winged: written with a pen.—n. Pen′ner, a case for holding pens: (her.) a representation of such carried at the girdle.—adjs. Pennif′erous, Pennig′erous, feathered; Pen′niform, like a feather in form. [L. pennatus—penna, wing.]
Pennill, pen′il, n. a kind of Welsh verse, in which the singer has to change words and measure according to the variations of his accompanist on the harp. [W. 'a verse,' pl. pennillion.]
Pennon, pen′on, n. a flag, a medieval knight-bachelor's ensign: a long narrow flag: a pinion or wing.—ns. Penn′oncelle, a small flag like a pennon; Penn′oncier, a knight-bachelor.—adj. Penn′oned, bearing a pennon. [Cf. Pennant.]
Penny, pen′i, n. a copper coin (bronze since 1860), originally silver=1⁄12 of a shilling, or four farthings: a small sum: money in general: (N.T.) a silver coin=7½d.: pound, in fourpenny, sixpenny, tenpenny nails=four, six, ten pound weight to the thousand:—pl. Pennies (pen′iz), denoting the number of coins; Pence (pens), the amount of pennies in value.—adjs. Penn′ied, possessed of a penny; Penn′iless, without a penny: without money: poor.—ns. Penn′ilessness; Penn′y-a-lin′er, one who writes for a public journal at so much a line: a writer for pay; Penn′y-a-lin′erism, hack-writing; Penn′y-dog, the tope or miller's dog, a kind of shark; Penn′y-post, a means of carrying a letter for a penny; Penn′y-rent, income; Penn′yweight, twenty-four grains of troy weight (the weight of a silver penny); Penn′y-wis′dom, prudence in petty matters.—adj. Penn′y-wise, saving small sums at the risk of larger: niggardly on improper occasions.—ns. Penn′y-worth, a penny's worth of anything: the amount that can be given for a penny: a good bargain—also Penn′'orth (coll.); Pē′ter's-pence, the name given to an old tribute offered to the Roman Pontiff, now a voluntary contribution.—Penny fee (Scot.), a small wage; Penny gaff (slang), a low-class theatre; Penny mail (Scot.), rent in money, not in kind: a small sum paid to the superior of land; Penny wedding, a wedding ceremonial in Scotland, at which the invited guests made contributions in money to pay the general expenses.—A pretty penny, a considerable sum of money; Turn an honest penny, to earn money honestly. [A.S. penig, oldest form pending, where pend=Eng. pawn, Ger. pfand, Dut. pand, a pledge, all which are from L. pannus, a rag, a piece of cloth.]