fountain pen
Preserved but no longer current.
This apparently modern in- vention is really of considerable antiquity. In the anonymous "Diary of a Journey to Paris m 1657-58" under date July llth, 1657 there is reference to a man who "makes pens of silver in which he puts ink, which does not get dry, and without having to take any, one can write a half-quire of paper at a sitting." In 1721 there is an advertisement in a Welsh almanac, "Inkhorns.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “fountain pen” mean?
This apparently modern in- vention is really of considerable antiquity. In the anonymous "Diary of a Journey to Paris m 1657-58" under date July llth, 1657 there is reference to a man who "makes pens of silver in which he puts ink, which does not get dry, and without having to take any, one can write a half-quire of paper at a sitting." In 1721 there is an advertisement in a Welsh almanac, "Inkhorns.
Is “fountain pen” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.