English

Noun

pent ‎(plural pents)

1. confinement; concealment
   • 1993, John Banville, Ghosts

     There was a catch in my voice, thick as it was with the pent of unshed tears; had I let them flow they would have come out forty per cent proof.

Adjective

pent

1. Confined in a pen, imprisoned.
   • (Can we date this quote?) W.S. Gilbert, The Mikado.

     My object all sublime

     I shall achieve in time —

     To let the punishment fit the crime —

     The punishment fit the crime;

     And make each prisoner pent

     Unwillingly represent

     A source of innocent merriment!

     Of innocent merriment!

Usage notes

Use of bare “pent”, as in the Gilbert quotation above, has become less common over time. (Use of “pent up” or “pent in” remains about as common.)

Translations

Verb

pent

1. (obsolete) simple past tense and past participle of pen; alternative form of penned

See also

• -pent-
• pent-
• penta-
• pent-up

Anagrams

• PETN

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

pent

1. neuter singular of pen

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

pent

1. neuter singular of pen

Old French

Verb

pent

1. third-person singular present indicative of pendre