means A slender writing or drawing instrument, typically a thin core of graphite encased in wood, that makes erasable marks.

from From Latin 'penicillus,' meaning 'little tail' or 'little brush' — a diminutive of 'peniculus' (brush), itself from 'penis' in its original Latin sense of 'tail.' The earliest pencils really were tiny brushes used for fine painting; the word crossed into English through Old French 'pincel.' Only later, when graphite was discovered and sheathed in wood, did 'pencil' attach to the dry, brushless tool we know — leaving it forever named after a soft little tail it no longer has.