inkling

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/^[1]

Etymology

It is apparently the verbal noun of Middle English inklen “to utter in an undertone, hint at”,^[2][3][4][5] which is of unknown origin^[3] and perhaps related to Old English inca “doubt, suspicion”.^[2][3][4][5] The earliest record, however, is a nyngkiling,^[3] and the American Heritage Dictionary and the Middle English Compendium explain it instead as from nikking “a hint”, from nikken “to mark a text for correction”, from nik “notch”,^[6][3] with a ninkling later divided as an inkling, as a napron became an apron.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A faint mention or rumour, chiefly in hear an inkling of (about 1400).^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

From a whispered mention, the word came to mean a hint given (1513)^[7][2][4] and then a hint received, a slight or vague notion (1546).^[7] The second sense is now the commoner.^[6][4][5]

Timeline

• mid-14th century – inklen, to hint.^[3][2]
• about 1400 – a faint mention or rumour.^[7][3]
• 1513 – a hint or intimation.^[7][2][4]
• 1546 – a vague notion or suspicion.^[7]
• 1787 – dialect, an inclination.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A slight understanding or vague idea; a suspicion.
2. A slight hint or indication.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press