Until the invention of steel pens late in the eighteenth century; and long afterward, until the quality was improved and the price lowered, sharpened quills had been in use since about the eighth century A.D.
As the point of the quill became dulled with use, a new point could be made with a sharp knife; and so, we also inherited the term, penknife.
Before the unknown inventor discovered that a penna, or goose quill, could be sharpened for use, the chief writing implement was the calamus, or "sharpened reed", dating back to classic Greek use.
2. An instrument for writing: The museum had an exhibition entitled the "History of the Pen" with examples of a quill pen, a fountain pen, a retractable pen, etc.
3. A slang term referring to a penitentiary or jail for long term prisoners: The judge sentenced the gang member to seven years in the pen.
2. One of several wooden pieces that constitute the target in a game: When Trisha goes bowling, she has such poor luck when she only knocks one pin over at a time.
3. A peg that is the target for pitching a quoit or metal ring in a game of quoits: When Dennis threw the iron ring or horseshoe, it landed on the pin and he won the match.
4. The part of the stem of a key that goes into a lock: Reba was very upset because she broke the pin of the metal device and was not able to open the door.
5. The pole or staff of a flag used to mark the hole in a golf course: Estella was aiming for the red pin in the outdoor sport when it was her turn in the tournament.
Kevin will use a pen to pen his PIN on a slip of paper and then he will use a safety pin to pin it to the inside of his coat jacket so he won't lose it.
A pin is a small object that's easily lost because it's always pointed in one direction and headed in the other.