ink

[ ingk ]

noun

1. a fluid or viscous substance used for writing or printing.
2. a dark, protective fluid ejected by the cuttlefish and other cephalopods.
3. Slang. a tattoo or tattoos:

   Oh, nice, you got new ink!

4. Informal. publicity, especially in print media:

   Their construction plans got some ink in the local paper.

verb (used with object)

1. to mark, stain, cover, or smear with ink:

   to ink one's clothes.

2. Informal. to sign one's name to (an official document):

   We expect to ink the contract tomorrow.

verb (used with or without object)

1. Slang. to mark (the skin) with tattoos:

   The team agreed that they would all get inked if they brought home the championship this year.

ink

/ ɪŋk /

noun

1. a fluid or paste used for printing, writing, and drawing
2. a dark brown fluid ejected into the water for self-concealment by an octopus or related mollusc from a gland ( ink sac ) near the anus

verb

1. to mark with ink
2. to coat (a printing surface) with ink

ink

/ ĭngk /

1. A dark liquid ejected for protection by most cephalopods, including the octopus and squid. Ink consists of highly concentrated melanin.

Derived Forms

• ˈinker, noun

Other Words From

• ink·er noun
• ink·less adjective
• ink·like adjective
• re·ink verb (used with object)
• un·inked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ink¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English inke, inc, enke, from Old French enca, enque, ancre, from Late Latin encautum, variant of encaustum “burnt in, painted in,” from Greek énkauston “purple ink (used for imperial signatures),” noun use of neuter of énkaustos “burnt in”; encaustic

Word History and Origins

Origin of ink¹

C13: from Old French enque, from Late Latin encaustum a purplish-red ink, from Greek enkauston purple ink, from enkaustos burnt in, from enkaiein to burn in; see en- ², caustic

Example Sentences

Jelly Roll, no stranger to the tattooist's art himself, says he wants to give the prince a tattoo on the neck, as the pair are filmed in the East Side Ink tattoo studio.

From BBC

Like Barbra Streisand, who recently penned a 970-page memoir, Cher is one of the handful of artists whose extraordinary life merits the extra ink.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather too much time is spent repeating staged close-ups of a left hand sketching in ink or applying paint, or else executing inscrutable mirror-writing on parchment — Leonardo’s secretive signature method — coupled with explanatory voice-over.

From Los Angeles Times

He said he had flagged the body ink to leadership.

From BBC

Each person who has cast their ballot then has their little finger marked with indelible ink to prevent voting a second time.

From BBC

Related Words

• appoint
• bring in
• draft
• employ
• engage
• enlist
• lease
• obtain
• pick
• promise
• rent
• retain
• select