Pencil
To get right to the point, the word pencil has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) word pes (penis) and Latin penis (penis; and, earlier, a tail) and Latin peniculus (brush).
(I would like to be able to say that the word ‘piss’ comes from PIE pes but there is no evidence for this. Most sources suggest that ‘piss’ comes from the sound of someone pissing; e.g., Latin pissiare, but that’s another story).
Anyway, Latin peniculus (brush) and penicillus (painter’s brush, hair pencil—literally, ‘little tail’) are the source of Old French pincel (artist’s paintbrush). By the mid-14th century, the word pencel came to English, meaning an artist’s small, fine brush of camel hair used for painting, manuscript illustration, and so on. [Also: penicillus is the origin of the word penicillin, yet another story].
From the mid-16th century, the word pencil was being used to describe a ‘graphite writing instrument’ in contrast to the pencel brush. At first, a pencil was a stick of pure graphite that was used for writing and marking things (note that a ‘lead pencil’ is not made with lead). At about same time, the wooden enclosures or holders for these graphite sticks were being developed. The graphite and its wooden container became known as a pencil.
After the modern clay-graphite mix was developed in the 19th century, the mass production of pencils began. The pencil with an eraser on the end is from 1858.
Why are pencils often yellow? In brief, during the 19th century, some of the best graphite in the world for pencils was found in the northern parts of China bordering on Russian Siberia. The color yellow was chosen for these top-quality pencils because of the associations of yellow with China and with royalty in Asia. As well at that time, the Koh-i-Noor yellow pencil was named for the legendary Asiatic Koh-i-Noor diamond. To this day, most pencils are yellow.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1994/11/15/wonder-why-your-pencils-yellow/5cc73edc-6fc3-4f94-b4ef-fbd04a58ab49/
(I would like to be able to say that the word ‘piss’ comes from PIE pes but there is no evidence for this. Most sources suggest that ‘piss’ comes from the sound of someone pissing; e.g., Latin pissiare, but that’s another story).
Anyway, Latin peniculus (brush) and penicillus (painter’s brush, hair pencil—literally, ‘little tail’) are the source of Old French pincel (artist’s paintbrush). By the mid-14th century, the word pencel came to English, meaning an artist’s small, fine brush of camel hair used for painting, manuscript illustration, and so on. [Also: penicillus is the origin of the word penicillin, yet another story].
From the mid-16th century, the word pencil was being used to describe a ‘graphite writing instrument’ in contrast to the pencel brush. At first, a pencil was a stick of pure graphite that was used for writing and marking things (note that a ‘lead pencil’ is not made with lead). At about same time, the wooden enclosures or holders for these graphite sticks were being developed. The graphite and its wooden container became known as a pencil.
After the modern clay-graphite mix was developed in the 19th century, the mass production of pencils began. The pencil with an eraser on the end is from 1858.
Why are pencils often yellow? In brief, during the 19th century, some of the best graphite in the world for pencils was found in the northern parts of China bordering on Russian Siberia. The color yellow was chosen for these top-quality pencils because of the associations of yellow with China and with royalty in Asia. As well at that time, the Koh-i-Noor yellow pencil was named for the legendary Asiatic Koh-i-Noor diamond. To this day, most pencils are yellow.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1994/11/15/wonder-why-your-pencils-yellow/5cc73edc-6fc3-4f94-b4ef-fbd04a58ab49/
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