Word Meanings - PENCIL - Book Publishers vocabulary database

An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point. (more info) 1. A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors. With subtile pencil depainted was this storie.

Additional info about word: PENCIL

An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point. (more info) 1. A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors. With subtile pencil depainted was this storie. Chaucer. 2. A slender cylinder or strip of black lead, colored chalk, slate etc., or such a cylinder or strip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed, or in a case, which forms a handle, -- used for drawing or writing. See Graphite. 3. Hence, figuratively, an artist's ability or peculiar manner; also, in general, the act or occupation of the artist, descriptive writer, etc.

Related words: (words related to PENCIL)

• LIGHT
  licht, OHG. lioht, Goth. liuhap, Icel. lj, L. lux light, lucere to 1. That agent, force, or action in nature by the operation of which upon the organs of sight, objects are rendered visible or luminous. Note: Light was regarded formerly
• LAYLAND
  Land lying untilled; fallow ground. Blount.
• LIGHTSOME
  1. Having light; lighted; not dark or gloomy; bright. White walls make rooms more lightsome than black. Bacon. 2. Gay; airy; cheering; exhilarating. That lightsome affection of joy. Hooker. -- Light"some*ly, adv. -- Light"some*ness, n. Happiness
• SMALLISH
  Somewhat small. G. W. Cable.
• LAYERING
  A propagating by layers. Gardner.
• LAYING
  1. The act of one who, or that which, lays. 2. The act or period of laying eggs; the eggs laid for one incubation; a clutch. 3. The first coat on laths of plasterer's two-coat work.
• LIGHTNESS
  The state, condition, or quality, of being light or not heavy; buoyancy; levity; fickleness; delicacy; grace. Syn. -- Levity; volatility; instability; inconstancy; unsteadiness; giddiness; flightiness; airiness; gayety; liveliness; agility;
• POINT SWITCH
  A switch made up of a rail from each track, both rails being tapered far back and connected to throw alongside the through rail of either track.
• LIGHT-ARMED
  Armed with light weapons or accouterments.
• POINTLESSLY
  Without point.
• POINT-DEVICE; POINT-DEVISE
  Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular. You are rather point-devise in your accouterments. Shak. Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise, Perfect in grammar, and in rhetoric nice. Longfellow. (more info) + point point, condition + devis
• LIGHTERAGE
  1. The price paid for conveyance of goods on a lighter. 2. The act of unloading into a lighter, or of conveying by a lighter.
• BRUSHWOOD
  1. Brush; a thicket or coppice of small trees and shrubs. 2. Small branches of trees cut off.
• LIGHT-O'-LOVE
  1. An old tune of a dance, the name of which made it a proverbial expression of levity, especially in love matters. Nares. "Best sing it to the tune of light-o'-love." Shak. 2. Hence: A light or wanton woman. Beau. & Fl.
• POINTAL
  The pistil of a plant. 2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets . . . and a pointel." Chaucer.
• POINTED
  1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock. 2. Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing. His moral pleases, not his pointed wit. Pope.
• LIGHT-FOOT; LIGHT-FOOTED
  Having a light, springy step; nimble in running or dancing; active; as, light-foot Iris. Tennyson.
• LIGHTHOUSE
  A tower or other building with a powerful light at top, erected at the entrance of a port, or at some important point on a coast, to serve as a guide to mariners at night; a pharos.
• POINT ALPHABET
  An alphabet for the blind with a system of raised points corresponding to letters.
• PAINTERSHIP
  The state or position of being a painter. Br. Gardiner.
• TOOTHBRUSH
  A brush for cleaning the teeth.
• PLAY
  quick motion, and probably to OS. plegan to promise, pledge, D. plegen to care for, attend to, be wont, G. pflegen; of unknown 1. To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot. As Cannace was
• SLIGHTNESS
  The quality or state of being slight; slenderness; feebleness; superficiality; also, formerly, negligence; indifference; disregard.
• SAGEBRUSH STATE
  Nevada; -- a nickname.
• DELIGHTING
  Giving delight; gladdening. -- De*light"ing*ly, adv. Jer. Taylor.
• WAYLAYER
  One who waylays another.
• DRUMMOND LIGHT
  A very intense light, produced by turning two streams of gas, one oxygen and the other hydrogen, or coal gas, in a state of ignition, upon a ball of lime; or a stream of oxygen gas through a flame of alcohol upon a ball or disk of lime; -- called
• PLAYGROUND
  A piece of ground used for recreation; as, the playground of a school.
• COVER-POINT
  The fielder in the games of cricket and lacrosse who supports "point."
• PLAYWRITER
  A writer of plays; a dramatist; a playwright. Lecky.
• PLAYTE
  See PLEYT
• DELIGHTLESS
  Void of delight. Thomson.
• DISMALLY
  In a dismal manner; gloomily; sorrowfully; uncomfortably.
• TRACKLAYER
  Any workman engaged in work involved in putting the track in place. -- Track"lay`ing, n.
• SLIGHTEN
  To slight. B. Jonson.
• LAMPLIGHTER
  The calico bass. (more info) 1. One who, or that which, lights a lamp; esp., a person who lights street lamps.
• MEDAL PLAY
  Play in which the score is reckoned by counting the number of strokes.
• OVERLAY
  To put an overlay on. (more info) 1. To lay, or spread, something over or across; hence, to cover; to overwhelm; to press excessively upon. When any country is overlaid by the multitude which live upon it. Sir W. Raleigh. As when a cloud his beams