Ink Meaning
/ˈɪŋk/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.
nounA particular type, color or container of this fluid.
Sentence Examples
Blotting paper absorbs ink.
Printing ink is in short supply.
My ballpoint pen just ran out of ink.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist carefully filled the fountain pen with blue ____ before writing the letter.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old pen ran out of ____ just as the famous writer was about to sign his latest book.
Word Origin & History
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”). Sense four refers to the ink used in newspapers.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1667 May 5 (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, page 285:
"Both halves feature lyrics that are so teen-girly they sound like they were written in pink ink in a padlocked diary with hearts and frowny faces for punctuation."
— 2016 March 24, Darryl Sterdan, “ZAYN’s ‘Mind of Mine’ and Gwen Stefani’s ‘This is What the Truth Feels Like’ top this week’s new music”, in The Toronto Star, archived from the original on 17 Jun 2018:
"Experimentally, some ink has been shown to be unpalatable to fish (Wood et al. 2010) and observationally, ink can also function as an attractant to predators to give cephalopods a bit more time to escape."
— 2017 August 9, Mark Carnall, “Why do cephalopods produce ink? And what's ink made of, anyway?”, in The Guardian:
"[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."
— 1999 June 4, Washington Post:
""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, Richard Dooling, Brain Storm:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist carefully filled the fountain pen with blue ____ before writing the letter.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old pen ran out of ____ just as the famous writer was about to sign his latest book.