English word origin

Etymology of peen

Probably from a North Germanic source, compare dialectal Norwegian penn (“peen”), Danish pind (“peg”), German Pinne (“the peen of a hammer”), Old Swedish pæna (“to pound iron with a hammer”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The (often spherical) end of the head of a hammer opposite the main hammering end.

verb

To shape metal by striking it, especially with a peen.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionpennno
Cognate mentionpindda
Cognate mentionPinnede
Cognate mentionpænagmq-osw

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hammer"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "penn",
        "3": "",
        "4": "peen"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian penn (“peen”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "pind",
        "3": "",
        "4": "peg"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish pind (“peg”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Pinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "the peen of a hammer"
      },
      "expansion": "German Pinne (“the peen of a hammer”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmq-osw",
        "2": "pæna",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to pound iron with a hammer"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Swedish pæna (“to pound iron with a hammer”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "penn",
      "penn#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "pind",
      "pind#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Pinne",
      "Pinne#German"
    ],
    [
      "pæna",
      "pæna#Old_Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The (often spherical) end of the head of a hammer opposite the main hammering end."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To shape metal by striking it, especially with a peen."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
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      "recordId": "d639e03347b1f75cdfe2531807ab45fd59cc24eb8ad58d810ffc6a9d44a30c43",
      "rawRecordSha256": "07785d761cd32c5bfe66d74b1d05a30e17b246bd42fae374415ac57e3695d08c",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Penis.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of penis, with the spelling changed to maintain the original pronunciation.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
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      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "penis"
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      "expansion": ""
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    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "penis"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of penis"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "penis",
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Penis."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for peen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cGVlbg