Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “inkhorn term” come from?

inkhorn term (English) comes from English inkhorn, from Middle English ynkhorn, from Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum, from Latin encaustus, from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστος, from Ancient Greek ἐν- — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

inkhorn term (English): An obscure, affectedly or ostentatiously learned...

Definitions

  1. An obscure, affectedly or ostentatiously learned...

Ancestry of “inkhorn term”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinkhornA small portable container, often made of horn,...
2Middle EnglishynkhornA small portable container, often made of horn,...
3Middle Englishynkeink
4Old Frenchenqueink
5Latinencaustumthe purple-red ink used by the later Roman...
6Latinencaustusburned in, encaustic; the encaustic mode of...
7Ancient Greekἔγκαυστοςburned in
8Ancient Greekἐν-in, within; on
9Ancient Greekἐνin, on, at; among; in, at, or during the time of
10Ancient Greekδέρμαskin, hide
11Ancient Greekγλυφήcarving, carved work; hole cut
12Ancient Greek-ῐ́ᾱ{{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
13Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
14Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →