Why are pencils called pencils even though they don't contain lead?

A pencil is an object used to write and draw on paper or wood, with a core made of graphite or similar compounds of graphite. This is a very familiar object in our lives. However, not everyone knows the history of its birth as well as the origin of the name of this type of pen.

We often call a brush pen a brush pen because its tip is made of hair or feathers; we call a fountain pen a fountain pen because its tip is made of metal. So why is the pencil we often use called a pencil when it is not made of lead?

So why is a pencil called a pencil when it is not made from lead? (Photo: Internet).

There are interesting secrets about pencils that will surprise you!

The Past and Present of Pencils

According to some documents, since ancient Roman times, professional religious scholars used a metal rod called a stylus to write on paper made from papyrus bark. It was not until 1564 that a tree fell in Borrowdale, England. Underneath the tree was a lead-colored mineral, greasy and easily contaminated by touch. At that time, the locals thought it was just lead. However, there was no metal here, it was pure carbon, more precisely graphite.

When drawn on paper, this material produced a much darker image than pencil, so they called it 'black lead' . It was also used by people to mark sheep in their flocks in daily life. Later, the British cut graphite into pieces and fixed it to the end of a stick to write.

The world's oldest pencil was found to date back to the early 17th century and is currently on display at the Faber-Castell Castle in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo: Internet).

This new tool was called a pencil – a name derived from the Latin pencillum, meaning a good pen. Soon, merchants saw the opportunity to sell them. So, in the early days, people mistakenly called graphite pens pencils, and that name has been used ever since.

It was not until 1795 that the prototype of the modern pencil was officially created by Nicolas-Jacques Conte . Instead of using pure graphite as before, he heated graphite powder with clay and water to create a mixture to make pencil lead. Then put them in a furnace to harden them. Through experimentation, he found that he could adjust the thickness of the pencil by changing the amount of clay in the mixture.

To accommodate the lead, Conte cut a groove along the length of the wooden stick, the lead was glued into the groove, and another piece of wood was glued on top. Conte's pencil was patented in 1795 and remains the design of the modern pencil we use today.

Currently, on the market there are many different types of pencils in terms of color, design, and thickness of the pencil. Pencils are usually divided into two main types: black pencils used for writing or drawing and colored pencils .

The raw materials used to make colored pencils are mainly a combination of smooth stone powder, glue, candle oil and food coloring. Because they are made from different materials, their colors are also different and the uses of each type of pencil are also different. Because there is a type of pen called a pencil, other types of pens that have the same shape as a pencil are often called pencils.