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DictionarypeenHammer end and metalworking
noun / verb

peen

PEEN/pin/

A hammer’s shaping end and its use in working metal.

The hammer's rounded peen sits opposite its flat striking face.

A close-up of a ball-peen hammer head in profile, with its rounded peen on the right visibly opposite the flat striking face on the left.
Etymology

Peen probably has a Scandinavian source, though its exact ancestor is uncertain. Earlier English used it as a verb meaning “beat thin with a hammer,” connecting the noun with metalworking.

In context

Nils Ögren17:26
I test the hardness of the hammer face and peen by using my trusty old Japanese Rockwell files
Forging a Cross Peen Hammer with ONLY Hand Tools

More examples

  • She peens the rivet until its end spreads flat.
  • Both hammers have narrow peens for shaping metal.
  • He peened a dimpled pattern into the copper bowl.

Forms

peen · peens · peened · peening

Similar words

hammer
Describes striking with a hammer, not necessarily shaping metal.
forge
Shapes metal with force, often after heating it.