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Like any other specialized item, the fountain pen has amassed a lexicon of terms that are unique. And like other jargon languages, fountain pen jargon can be cryptic or confusing. This glossary presents brief definitions for many of the most common pen terms. It is not complete (an impossible goal); but it is a work in progress, and I welcome suggestions for terms to add. (Revised March 26, 2008)

The glossary is organized alphabetically. For numbers, look under the spelled-out form; e.g., for 14K, look under fourteen.

If there is a magnifying-glass symbol () next to an image, click the magnifying glass to view a zoomed version for more detail.

M
Machine Gun	A marketing term used by Eversharp to promote the rapid-fire action of its button-operated propel-only mechanical pencils (1940s, Skyline and Fifth Avenue).
magic pencil	A Victorian mechanical pencil designed so that pulling out the back end extends the pencil while simultaneously making the pencil long enough to use comfortably; pushing the back end in again retracts the pencil. Shown below is a niello propel-repel magic pencil in its retracted and extended positions. See also mechanical pencil.
Magnetic	A high-quality “space age” pen produced c. 1956 by Stratford, a third-tier company whose other pens were generally of low quality. The pen’s barrel had fins flaring out to meet the platform-like metal ring at the back of the barrel; the cap contained a magnet to hold the pen capped or posted by attraction to the barrel ring or the similar ring at the end of the section.
Major	The name Parker assigned to its standard-sized Vacumatic pen beginning with the 1937 introduction of the Speedline redesign. Shown below are a 1934 Standard and a 1939 Major. See also Vacumatic.
majuscule	(also uppercase) A “capital” letter in writing. Primarily of interest to pen users as a reference in determining desired nib size. See illustration and further information at minuscule.
maki-e	(pronounced mah-kee-eh) A decorative treatment; the application of abstract or figural artwork to a lacquered surface (usually urushi) using gold powder. The gold is applied while the surface is wet and sticky, and the wet lacquer bonds the gold in place. The technique can involve the application of dozens or even hundreds of extremely thin coats of lacquer. To create maki-e finishes of high quality requires many months of labor by highly skilled artisans, and pens bearing such designs are very costly. The maki-e designs on inexpensive pens are usually applied by silkscreening and embellished by hand. Illustrated here is a Pilot Phoenix maki-e pen, by Namiki. See also lacquer, urushi.
Mandarin	1  A yellow color used on Parker Duofolds in the late 1920s (near right). Unpopular at that time, Mandarin Duofolds are today rare and highly prized.  2  An orange color used on the Sheaffer Snorkel from 1956 to 1959 (far right), and a similar color used on the Parker 45 beginning in 1967.
Maniflex	A range of very attractive but otherwise ordinary lever-filling celluloid pens produced by Moore in the late 1920s and the 1930s. These pens’ nibs, imprinted with the MANIFLEX name, are good semiflexible nibs but are greatly prone to cracking upward from the base.
manifold	Indicates an extremely rigid nib, intended to permit the heavy writing pressure needed to make impressions on multipart (carbon) forms. Sometimes called a “nail” (mildly derisive). See also nib.
marbled	Having an irregular pattern made by combining two or more colors, as shown to the right. The term is used to refer to plastic, not to hard rubber. See also hard rubber, mottled.
matchstick	A type of filling system. View a description and filling instructions here.
Maxima	The name Parker assigned to its oversized Vacumatic pen beginning with the 1937 introduction of the Speedline redesign. In 1939, the first version of the Maxima was renamed Senior Maxima to make way for a slightly thinner Maxima model.
MB	Montblanc.
mchanical pencil	(abbreviated MP) A writing instrument that uses replaceable graphite leads and is fitted with a mechanism to extend and (usually) retract the lead, generally when the user rotates a collar, the pencil’s nose cone, or the cap. A mechanical pencil that extends the lead but cannot retract it is referred to as a propel pencil; most propel pencils work by repeated pressing of a button at the back end of the barrel. A pencil that can also retract the lead is a propel-repel pencil. Shown below is a Parker Pastel propel-repel pencil from c. 1927. See also magic pencil.
Meisterstück	A German word (pronounced approximately MYE-ster-shterk) meaning masterpiece, used by Montblanc to designate its top-line pen models (numbered in the 1xx range). Shown here is a Model 149 (Diplomat), the largest in the line.
MHR	Mottled Hard Rubber. See also hard rubber, mottled.
middle joint	A design for early eyedropper-filling pens that placed the joint for opening and filling the pen in the middle of the barrel rather than where the section joins the barrel, ostensibly to reduce the risk of stained fingers due to ink seepage at the joing. See also eyedropper filler, Jointless.
military clip	A clip that is affixed very close to the end of the cap and also is usually shorter than a standard clip, made so that the pen can be clipped into a pocket whose flap can then be buttoned over the pen to conceal it in compliance with United States military regulations. Some clips, notably those by Parker and Esterbrook, are inherently “military” in design, while others, such as those on Sheaffer’s Balance pens (except for the special 1940s miltary-clip version, shown here), do not comply with military regulations. See also clip, Tuckaway.
mint	A term adopted from numismatics, to describe an item that is in “new” condition, nominally exactly as from the factory. Most collectors interpret “mint” to mean that the item shows no signs whatsoever of use, not even the tiny dings or scratches that could appear on a coin in mint condition. See also NOS.
minuscule	(also lowercase) A “little” letter in writing. Primarily of interest to pen users as a reference in determining desired nib size. As illustrated below, the height of standard minuscules (the x-height) is by convention equal to 5/8 the distance between the base and head lines, and the width of an italic nib’s stroke should be approximately 1/5 the x-height. See also majuscule.
Moderne	1  Parker’s name for two colors used on some of its pens in the 1920s and 1930s (shown to the right, Moderne Black and Pearl, and Moderne Green and Pearl).  2  (also known as Day and Night or Night and Day) The name under which L. E. Waterman catalogued pens with overlay designs featuring longitudinal slots (French version illustrated below, upper). Waterman produced these pens during the 1920s; Sheaffer offered a similar design (illustrated below, lower) a few years earlier. See also Colonnade, overlay.
Modernistic Blue	Parker’s bargello-like pattern of blue and white (shown to the right), commonly called “True Blue” (a euphonious sobriquet used by Parker in period advertising). Parker used Modernistic Blue for a smallish Depression-era pen priced at $3.50 and catalogued as the Three-Fifty. Offered in both ringtop and clip-style models, the Three-Fifty appeared in both flat-top and Streamlined versions. Parker also used Modernistic Blue for pens and pencils manufactured for the Zaner-Bloser company. Modernistic Blue pens are unfortunately prone to serious discoloration, as shown by the barrel of the pen below. See also Zaner-Bloser.
moiré	Having a watery or shimmering surface pattern. In 1927, Parker added a series of moiré colors to its Pastel line of petite pens; shown here (near right) is Coral Moiré. The term is also used by collectors to describe the patterned celluloid used on early-production Eversharp Skylines and called Modern Stripe in Eversharp’s advertising. Shown here (far right) is the red Modern Stripe color commonly called Garnet. See also Pastel, Skyline.
mold	A fungal growth in ink. Frequently appears as floating “islands” on the surface of ink in a bottle or as a fuzzy white or beige growth in the area of the nib and feed of a pen, as shown in my article on caring for your pens. Contrast with SITB. See also fungicide.
Monel metal	(also Monell metal) A group of alloys based on nickel and copper in approximately the proportions found in the ore from which the two metals are extracted, with properties varied by the addition of other metals such as iron or aluminum. Patented in 1906, Monel metals have been used extensively for myriad products, including cast pen parts. See also nickel silver.
Moss-Agate	Waterman’s name for a celluloid color consisting of gold/brown marbled patches on a green ground, as shown to the right. Moss-Agate was first used on the Patrician and the Lady Patricia (below).
mother-of-pearl	The iridescent inner layer of a mollusk shell, frequently that of an oyster. Mother-of-pearl is sometimes used as an overlay by itself as shown below, or combined with abalone, on pen barrels and caps. The pen below illustrates the care some makers took with subtle aesthetics: its mother-of-pearl overlay is made of shell chosen for its golden hue. See also abalone, alternating pearl, iridescent.
mottled	Having an irregular pattern made by combining two colors, as shown below. The term is used to refer to hard rubber, almost always red and black, not plastics. See also hard rubber, marbled.
MP	See mechanical pencil.
music nib	A nib that is relatively flexible and has a tip shaped like a broad stub italic with very soft edges (illustrated to the right) to allow for extreme freedom of use, especially at very high angles of elevation relative to the paper, as when a composer or arranger writes on the music desk while sitting at a piano. Music nibs often have three tines to support a very heavy flow. See also italic, nib, stub.

The information in this glossary is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative.

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