peen

[ peen ]

noun

1. a wedgelike, spherical, or other striking end of a hammer head opposite the face.

verb (used with object)

1. to enlarge, straighten, or smooth with a peen.
2. to strengthen (a metal surface) by light hammering or by bombardment with steel balls or shot.

peen

/ piːn /

noun

1. the end of a hammer head opposite the striking face, often rounded or wedge-shaped

verb

1. tr to strike with the peen of a hammer or with a stream of metal shot in order to bend or shape (a sheet of metal)

Word History and Origins

Origin of peen¹

1505–15; earlier pen < Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Norwegian pen (noun) in same sense (perhaps < German Pinne peen). See pin

Word History and Origins

Origin of peen¹

C17: variant of pane, perhaps from French panne, ultimately from Latin pinna point

Example Sentences

Refurbished vintage ball peen hammers with ombré painted handles are already cropping up on Instagram.

From New York Times

“And I basically used her and lied to her by omission. I knew she wouldn’t’ve been down with what we did if she’d known about my contact with ‘the peen.’

From Literature

By the time Farquar bunched up his fist and stuck out the knuckle of his middle finger, it was hard as a ball peen hammer and sharp as a spear.

From Literature

That’s not to mention the dozens of similarly breathless tweets celebrating Pine’s peen.

From The Guardian

Moore was accused of beating them with a ball peen hammer and a roughly 4-foot-long section of a wooden handrail with two wall brackets still attached.

From Washington Times

More About Peen

What does peen mean?

A peen is the round or wedge shaped end of a hammer, opposite its face.

To peen is to enlarge, straighten, or smooth with a peen, as in Sahid smoothed the cut edge by peening it with a ball peen hammer.

To peen is also to strengthen by lightly hammering it, as in In metal shop, we peened scrap pieces to learn how to strengthen metal.

Example: Peen the bottom to give it a textured finish.

Where does peen come from?

The first records of the term peen come from the early 1500s. It is thought to have been borrowed from early Scandinavian. It is similar in origin to the term pen and pin.

The peen of a hammer comes in different shapes, such as a ball, wedge, and cross. Peens are almost always attached to hammers and rarely are seen on their own, but there are some specialized tools used only for peening something. Especially when using a flat or ball peen, the goal is to flatten or smooth out bumps, as well as to texture or dent something.

Occasionally, peen can be used as a verb meaning to hammer lightly, not necessarily with the peen, but with the face. Sometimes, peen is misused as vulgar slang for penis.

Did you know … ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with peen? 

• pen
• pin

What are some words that often get used in discussing peen?

• ball
• flatten
• hammer
• smooth
• texture

How is peen used in real life?

Peen is not commonly used, normally used in the context of construction, demolition, or mechanics.

Gordie Howe honored in hometown Saskatoon. Great scorer, Great competitor, Remembered best for elbows like Ball-peen hammers!

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 7, 2015

That which does not kill us makes us want to bash their heads in with a ball peen hammer.

— Danny DeVito (@DannyDeVito) December 10, 2010

Try using peen!

Is peen used correctly in the following sentence?

The hammer fell peen first into the flimsy box.