pencil

Where does the word "pencil" come from? It comes from Latin penicillus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Pencil’s story begins in Latin: penicillus meant “little tail, paintbrush.” A diminutive of 'penis', tail. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as pincel. First an artist's fine brush. It reached English by 1300s as pencil. Graphite pencils date from the 1560s. Today, pencil means a thin writing instrument.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient penicillus "little tail, paintbrush", a diminutive of 'penis', tail.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval pincel "paintbrush", first an artist's fine brush.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s pencil "a paintbrush", graphite pencils date from the 1560s.