hint English · revision 10222

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=inherited|attested=1604|origins=ang hentan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /hɪnt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is of obscure origin,^(Hoad 1986) probably an alteration of the obsolete [[hent]], an act of seizing, a grasp,^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986) from Middle English hinten, to tell, inform (about 1400), earlier to catch, seize,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) [[inh|ang|hentan|t=to seize]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from Proto-Germanic *hantijan, source also of Gothic hinþan, to seize,^(Etymonline) and related to [[hunt]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ An occasion or opportunity, and a slight indication intended to be caught by the intelligent: both 1604, in Shakespeare's ''Othello''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense of an opportunity, as in ''it is my hint to speak'', lasted into the early 19th century.^(SOED 2002)^(OED 1989) A small piece of practical information is from 1777.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The verb, to suggest indirectly, is from the 1640s,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) and the noun also means a barely perceptible amount, a trace.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1604 – an opportunity; an indirect suggestion.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1640s – the verb.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1777 – a piece of practical advice.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An indirect or slight suggestion: ''he dropped a hint''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A helpful piece of advice; a [[tip]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A [[clue]].^(AHD)

+ # A very small amount; a [[trace]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' An occasion or opportunity.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To suggest or make known indirectly.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[hinter]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[hent]]

+ * [[hunt]]

+ * [[intimation]]

+ * [[suggestion]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In Scots dialect, hint was also used to mean to watch quietly, or to vanish quickly.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}