pencil
gb/pˈɛnsəl/ us/pˈɛnsəl/
A1
English
~ 9500
ceruza, ceruzával ír, ceruzával rajzol, előzetesen beír, vékony nyaláb, ceruzanyaláb, vékony csóva, nyaláb, geometriai nyaláb
A1
1
ceruza
A1
Usage pattern:
[someone] writes/draws with a pencil
She pulled a pencil from her bag and started taking notes.
Elővett a táskájából egy ceruzát, és jegyzetelni kezdett.
Please use a pencil, not a pen, on the test.
Kérlek, a dolgozatnál ceruzát használj, ne tollat.
The designer sketched the logo with a soft 2B pencil.
I can’t find my mechanical pencil anywhere.
The child colored the picture with bright colored pencils.
Learner examples
I need a pencil to write this word.
Kell egy ceruza, hogy leírjam ezt a szót.
There is a sharp pencil on the desk.
Egy kihegyezett ceruza van az íróasztalon.
The boy draws a house with his blue pencil.
Put your pencils back in the pencil case.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "I write by pencil." In English, we say "I write in pencil" (no article) to talk about the material, or "I write with a pencil" to talk about the object.
Meaning
Thin tool for writing or drawing
Collocations
sharpen a pencil
|pencil case
|pencil and paper
|colored pencils
|mechanical pencil
|HB pencil
Synonyms
writing tool (More general; includes pens, markers, and other instruments, not only pencils.)
|
writing implement (More formal and technical; refers broadly to any object used for writing.)
Themes
daily life
|school
|art
|education
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A thin stick you use to write or draw, made of wood or plastic with a dark or colored center.
A thin writing or drawing instrument with a core of graphite or colored material inside a wood or plastic casing, used by pressing it against a surface.
A2
2
ceruzával ír
A1
Usage pattern:
to pencil [something]
She penciled a quick map on the back of the envelope.
Gyors térképvázlatot rajzolt ceruzával a boríték hátuljára.
The architect penciled an outline of the new building.
Az építész ceruzával felvázolta az új épület körvonalait.
He carefully penciled the answers in the boxes.
I like to pencil little flowers around the edge of the page.
Learner examples
The girl pencils a big star on the paper.
A lány egy nagy csillagot rajzol ceruzával a papírra.
He pencils his name at the top of the test.
Ceruzával írja a nevét a dolgozat tetejére.
The artist pencils a face before adding color.
Please pencil the numbers next to each picture.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "pencil" (to draw/write) with the phrasal verb "pencil in" (to plan something, usually in a schedule). Also note spelling: American English usually has "penciled" and British English often has "pencilled"; both are correct in their varieties.
Meaning
Write or draw with a pencil
Collocations
pencil a sketch
|pencil an outline
|pencil notes in the margin
|lightly pencil [something]
|pencil a design
Synonyms
sketch (Usually refers to drawing quickly; does not always imply using a pencil, but often does in practice.)
|
jot down (Focuses on writing something quickly; does not specify using a pencil.)
Themes
art
|writing
|daily life
|education
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To write or draw with a pencil, usually in a light or simple way.
To write or draw something using a pencil, often lightly or as a rough version.
B2
3
Usage pattern:
to pencil [someone/something] in
Let’s pencil the meeting in for Tuesday morning.
Írjuk be egyelőre a megbeszélést kedd délelőttre.
I can pencil you in for 3 p.m., but I may need to move it.
Be tudlak írni délután háromra, de lehet, hogy át kell majd tennem az időpontot.
They penciled the concert in for July, pending the singer’s approval.
I’ve penciled in a visit to the museum while we’re in Paris.
Learner examples
Can I pencil you in for Friday?
Előzetesen beírhatlak péntekre?
The manager pencils in a short meeting at ten.
A vezető előzetesen beír egy rövid megbeszélést tíz órára.
We pencil in our holiday for next month, but it may change.
She pencils the job interview in her calendar.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "pencil" alone instead of the usual pattern "pencil in" for this meaning, e.g. saying *"I penciled a meeting"* instead of the more natural "I penciled in a meeting." They may also confuse this sense with the literal sense of writing with a pencil.
Meaning
Arrange something only tentatively
Collocations
pencil [someone] in
|pencil in a meeting
|pencil in a date
|pencil something into the calendar
|pencil in an appointment
Synonyms
schedule tentatively (More formal and explicit; does not use the metaphor of writing with a pencil.)
Antonyms
confirm (To make a plan or time fixed and final, the opposite of keeping it tentative.)
Themes
business
|time
|daily life
|work
|communication
Definition
To write a time or plan in a calendar or list, but in a way that can still change.
To add someone or something to a schedule or plan in a way that is not final yet, often using the phrase "pencil in."
C1
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
a pencil of [light/smoke/etc.]
A pencil of light came through the hole in the curtain.
Vékony fénynyaláb szűrődött be a függöny lyukán.
The laser produced a fine pencil of red light.
A lézer vékony vörös fénynyalábot hozott létre.
Smoke rose in a thin pencil from the chimney.
Engineers focused a pencil of X-rays on the sample.
Learner examples
A thin pencil of light comes through the door.
Vékony fénynyaláb szűrődik be az ajtón át.
We see a small pencil of smoke over the trees.
A fák fölött egy kis, vékony füstcsóvát látunk.
The machine sends a pencil of X-rays into the body.
Water falls from the pipe in a narrow pencil.
Meaning
Narrow beam of light or similar
Collocations
pencil of light
|pencil of rays
|pencil of smoke
|narrow pencil of light
|pencil beam
Synonyms
beam (More general; can be wide or narrow, while "pencil" suggests a very thin, focused beam.)
Antonyms
flood (In contexts like lighting, a "flood" suggests a wide, spreading light, contrasting with a thin pencil of light.)
Themes
science
|physics
|nature
Definition
A thin line or beam of light or other things, like smoke or water, going in one direction.
A narrow, roughly cylindrical beam or column of light, radiation, fluid, smoke, or a similar substance.
C2
TECHNICAL
5
nyaláb
C2
Usage pattern:
a pencil of [lines/circles/conics/etc.]
The two points determine a pencil of circles.
A két pont meghatároz egy környalábot.
We consider the pencil of lines through the origin.
Az origón átmenő egyenesek nyalábját vizsgáljuk.
This transformation maps the pencil of conics onto itself.
The lecturer illustrated a pencil of planes intersecting a line.
Learner examples
In this exercise, we draw a pencil of lines through one point.
Ebben a feladatban egy ponton átmenő egyenesnyalábot rajzolunk.
The teacher shows a pencil of circles with the same center.
A tanár azonos középpontú körökből álló környalábot mutat be.
In higher math, a pencil of curves is a family of similar curves.
The book explains how a pencil of planes can meet in one line.
Meaning
Family of related geometric objects
Collocations
pencil of lines
|pencil of circles
|pencil of conics
|pencil of planes
|one-parameter pencil
Synonyms
family (General mathematical term for a related set of objects; "pencil" is a more specific type of family, often one-parameter and geometrical.)
Themes
mathematics
|science
|education
Definition
In mathematics, a group of lines, circles, or other shapes that all share the same special point, line, or rule.
In mathematics, a set of geometric objects, such as lines, circles, or curves, that share a common property, often depending on one parameter.
Grammar
Dictionary form
pencil
IPA
GB/pˈɛnsəl/
US/pˈɛnsəl/
Syllables & stress
pen - cil (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (pen)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: pencil
- Plural: pencil, pencils
Word family
Forms
pencils
noun
Related words
Expressions
paper and pencil
1/pˈeɪpɚ ˈænd pˈɛnsəl/
fixed phrase
Using basic hand-writing tools
Using paper and a pencil, not a computer or phone, to write, draw, or do problems.
Examples
- You won’t need a computer for the test; it’s just paper and pencil.
- He prefers to do math with paper and pencil instead of a calculator.
- Before we start coding, let’s sketch the idea with paper and pencil.
pencil in
1/pˈɛnsəl ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
Add something to a schedule tentatively
To write a plan, time, or meeting into your calendar in a way that can still change.
Examples
- I’ll pencil you in for Tuesday afternoon, and we can change it if needed.
- They penciled in the launch date for August, but it isn’t final yet.
- Let’s pencil in dinner next week and confirm the day later.
put pencil to paper
1/pˈʊt pˈɛnsəl tə pˈeɪpɚ/
idiom
Start writing something
To start writing something, such as a letter, story, or plan.
Examples
- I’ve been thinking about the novel for years, but I still haven’t put pencil to paper.
- Once she put pencil to paper, the ideas started to flow.
- It’s time to put pencil to paper and write your goals for the year.