Inkling meaning
A slight understanding or vague idea or notion.
noun
A vague idea or notion; suspicion.
noun
The definition of an inkling is a suspicion or a hint.
When you kind of suspect that someone is planning a surprise party for you but you are not quite sure, this is an example of an inkling.
noun
A slight hint or indication.
noun
An indirect suggestion; slight indication; hint.
noun
Origin of inkling
- Probably alteration of Middle English (a) ningkiling (a) hint, suggestion possibly alteration of nikking from nikken to mark a text for correction from nik notch, tally perhaps from variant of Old French niche niche niche
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English, from inklen, inclen (“to give an inkling of, hint at, mention, utter in an undertone”), from inke (“apprehension, misgiving”), from Old English inca (“doubt, suspicion”), from Proto-Germanic *inkô (“ache, regret”), from Proto-Indo-European *yenǵ- (“illness”). Cognate with Old Frisian jinc (“angered”), Old Norse ekki (“pain, grief”), Norwegian ekkje (“lack, pity”).
From Wiktionary