pent
pent Lexical Profile
pent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Closely confined, shut in, or held back from expression (often used with 'up', especially of emotions or energy).
"Years of pent frustration finally surfaced during the heated town hall debate."
• noun
A sloping roof or canopy projecting from an outer wall, or a simple shed built with a single-pitched roof against another building.
"The carpenter constructed a timber pent along the side of the barn to keep the stacked firewood dry."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'pent' is now most commonly used with 'up' in the hyphenated compound 'pent-up' when placed before a noun, or predicatively as 'pent up' after a linking verb.
• Rhymes for pent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
As an adjective, 'pent' derives from Middle English 'penden' (to shut in or enclose), originating from Old English 'pyndan'. The architectural noun sense comes independently from Middle French 'apentis' (lean-to), ultimately from Latin 'appendere' (to hang upon).