Pen vs Pin - What's the difference?
pen | pin |
An enclosed area used to contain domesticated animals, especially sheep or cattle.
A place to confine a person; a prison cell.
(baseball) The bullpen.
To enclose in a pen.
* Milton
A tool, originally made from a feather but now usually a small tubular instrument, containing ink used to write or make marks.
(figurative) A writer, or his style.
* Fuller
A light pen.
(zoology) The internal cartilage skeleton of a squid, shaped like a pen.
A feather, especially one of the flight feathers of a bird, angel etc.
* 1590 , Edmund Spendser, The Faerie Queene , I.xi:
(poetic) A wing.
To write (an article, a book, etc.).
A small device, made (usually) of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.
* Milton
A small nail with a head and a sharp point.
A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.
A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.
(in plural'' pins ; ''informal ) A leg.
(electricity) Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector.
A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.
(US) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.
(chess) A scenario in which moving a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to attack.
(curling) The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area)
* Shakespeare
(dated) A mood, a state of being.
* Cowper
One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink.
(medicine, obsolete) caligo
A thing of small value; a trifle.
* Spectator
A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.
(engineering) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal.
The tenon of a dovetail joint.
(often followed by a preposition such as'' to''' ''or'' ' on ) To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.
(chess, usually, in the passive) To cause (a piece) to be in a pin.
(wrestling) To pin down (someone).
To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.
(computing, GUI) To attach (an icon, application, etc.) to another item.
As nouns the difference between pen and pin
is that pen is an enclosed area used to contain domesticated animals, especially sheep or cattle while pin is a small device, made (usually) of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.As verbs the difference between pen and pin
is that pen is to enclose in a pen while pin is (often followed by a preposition such as to or on) To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.pen
English
(wikipedia pen)Etymology 1
From (etyl) . More at pin. Sense “prison” originally figurative extension to enclosure for persons (1845), later influenced byNoun
(en noun)- There are two steers in the third pen .
- They caught him with a stolen horse, and he wound up in the pen again.
- Two righties are up in the pen .
Verb
- Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (Modern English (m)); note the /p/ ? /f/ Germanic sound change. See feather and for more.Noun
(en noun)- He took notes with a pen .
- He has a sharp pen .
- those learned pens
- And eke the pennes , that did his pineons bynd, / Were like mayne-yards, with flying canuas lynd, / With which whenas him list the ayre to beat
- (Milton)
Derived terms
* ball pen * ball-point pen * border pen * bull pen * cartridge pen * felt-tip pen * fountain pen * goose pen * lettering pen * pen cancellation * pen feather * pen-mate * penmanship * pen name * pen pal * pen-pusher * poison pen * you don't dip your pen in company inkVerb
(penn)Etymology 3
Origin uncertain.Etymology 4
Shortned form of penaltyReferences
pin
English
(wikipedia pin)Noun
(en noun)- With pins of adamant / And chains they made all fast.
- Pull the pin out of the grenade before throwing it at the enemy.
- I'm not so good on my pins these days.
- The UK standard connector for domestic mains electricity has three pins .
- The shot landed right on the pin .
- the very pin of his heart cleft
- a merry pin
- (Shakespeare)
- He did not care a pin for her.
Synonyms
* (small nail) nail, tack * (cylinder of wood or metal) peg * (games) skittle * (jewellery fastened with a pin) brooch * (accessory) badgeHyponyms
* (jewellery fastened with a pin) breastpin * (chess) absolute pin, relative pin, partial pinDerived terms
* belaying pin * breastpin * clothespin / clothes pin * drawing pin * gudgeon pin * on a pin * on pins and needles * pincushion * pinhead * pinhole * pin money * pinner * pinprick * pins and needles * pintle * pin-up, pinup * rolling pin * safety pinSee also
* needleVerb
- to pin a window to the Taskbar