ink

A jar of ink (sense 1)

From Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum (“purple ink used by Roman emperors to sign documents”), from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston, “burned-in”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + καίω (kaíō, “burn”). In this sense, displaced native Old English blæc (“ink”, literally “black”).

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ĭngk, IPA^(key): /ɪŋk/
• (General American, pre-/ŋ/ tensing), IPA^(key): /iŋk/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Homophone: inc.
• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

ink (usually uncountable, plural inks)

1. A pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.
   • 1667 May 6 (date written; Gregorian calendar)​, Samuel Pepys; Mynors Bright, transcriber, “April 26th, 1667”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume VI, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1895, OCLC 1016700617, page 285:

     While I was waiting for him in the Matted Gallery, a young man was most finely working in Indian inke the great picture of the King and Queen sitting [Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France], by Van Dyke [Anthony van Dyck]; and did it very finely.

2. (countable) A particular type, color or container of this fluid.
3. The black or dark-colored fluid ejected by squid, octopus etc, as a protective strategy.
4. (slang, uncountable) Publicity.

   Synonyms: ballyhoo, flak, hoopla, hype, plug, spotlight

   The TSA has been getting a lot of ink lately.

   to get ink

   • 1999, Washington Post (4 June 1999)

     [Judith] Hope […] has been getting ink by the barrelful with her regular interviews quoting conversations with the first lady, on subjects ranging from Senate ambitions to summer and post-White House living arrangements.

5. (slang, uncountable) Tattoo work.

   Synonym: paint

   • 1998, Richard Dooling, Brain Storm:

     "I saw it hanging on the wall of a tattoo hut where I went to get some ink done ten years ago," he stuttered, flushing in splotches and squirming in his chair.

   • 1998, “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”, performed by The Offspring:

     Now he's getting a tattoo / Yeah, he's getting ink done / He asked for a 13, / But they drew a 31

6. (slang) Cheap red wine.

• inke (obsolete)

ink (third-person singular simple present inks, present participle inking, simple past and past participle inked)

1. (transitive) To apply ink to; to cover or smear with ink.
2. (transitive) To sign (a contract or similar document).
   • December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger and Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time Magazine‎:

     Before Musk, America’s space industry was moribund. In 2011, NASA mothballed the last space shuttle, after inking a deal with SpaceX to make uncrewed cargo resupply runs to the International Space Station (ISS).

3. (transitive) To apply a tattoo to (someone).
4. (intransitive, of a squid or octopus) to eject ink (sense 3)

• (sign): endorse, initial, inscribe, subscribe

• dye

• ink on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• -kin, -kin-, -nik, Kin, Nik, k'in, kin

From Dutch inkt.

• IPA^(key): /əŋk/

ink (plural inkte or inke)

1. ink

ink (present ink, present participle inkende, past participle geïnk)

1. to ink

ink

1. Alternative form of inc