Inkhorn
/ˈɪŋk.hɔːrn/noun
A horn container once used to hold ink, especially for writing.
Did you know?In the 16th century, an “inkhorn term” was a learned, often Latinized word mocked by critics, so the humble inkhorn helped name a whole battle over who controlled language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“horn; head; point”
Old English
OE
inc-horn
“a horn used as a container for ink”
Middle English
ME
inkhorn
“a horn vessel for holding ink”
16th Century
English
inkhorn term
“a pretentious or learned word, often borrowed from Latin or Greek”
Modern English
English
inkhorn
“a horn container for ink; archaic”
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