autopenn.
/ˈɔːtə(ʊ)pɛn/, U.S. /ˈɔdəˌpɛn/, /ˈɔdoʊˌpɛn/, /ˈɑdəˌpɛn/, /ˈɑdoʊˌpɛn/ Originally U.S.
1. A self-filling fountain pen. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > fountain pen > type of
stylographic pen1880
stylograph1882
stylo1890
autopen1905
cartridge pen1955
1905 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 8 Jan. 10/7 (advt.) One gold auto pen, one self ejecting penholder, one carbon ink tablet.
1910 Nebraska State Jrnl. 24 Sept. 5/5 (advt.) The Safety Autopen..is the very newest thing in Fountain Pens;..a Fountain Pen that is filled without soiling the fingers.
1916 Primary Educ. Nov. 605/3 (advt.) The Autopen will adapt itself perfectly to the individual style of penmanship.
2. A device which mechanically reproduces a person's signature.
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1940 Washington Post 24 Mar. r4/2 The Autopen machine which rewrites handwriting.
1953 Nevada State Jrnl. 16 Jan. 4/5 The purring..came from the autopen signing the name of one George Brown..at the rate of 3,000 per day.
1974 Time 10 June 59 Caroline [Kennedy] will be a ‘go-fer’, sorting mail and operating the autopen that prints Uncle Ted's signature on routine letters.
2002 MX News 21 Mar. 13/3 Normally when members of the royal family sign their names they use a machine called an autopen which copies and reproduces their signature identically.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1905