penholder

From pen +‎ holder.

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penholder (plural penholders)

1. A handle into which a nib or other penpoint is fitted to form a pen.
   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 207:

     He was amazing, and had a penholder behind his ear.

   • 2009 April 3, Helene Cooper, “Obama’s Star Turn at Summit Gets Mixed Results”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 February 2022:

     The Browns gave the Obamas an ornate penholder made from the timber of a Victorian antislave ship.

2. A device for storing pens while they are not being used.
3. Alternative form of penhold.
4. (diplomacy) a member of the United Nations Security Council with responsibility for [a specified issue]
   • 2025 October 30, Patrick Wintour, “UN leaders condemn ‘horrifying’ mass killings in Sudan”, in The Guardian‎^[2], archived from the original on 12 November 2025:

     Widespread reports of ethnically targeted killings in recent days prompted the UK, as the UN penholder on Sudan, to call an emergency session of the security council in New York on Thursday.

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