# ink

Pronunciation: say "INGK" /ɪŋk/

## Noun

1. A colored liquid made with pigment or dye, used for writing, printing, drawing, and similar work.
   - Simple: A colored liquid used in pens and printers for writing and printing.
   - _Please sign both copies of the lease in blue or black ink._
   - _The old map was drawn in brown ink that has faded over the centuries._
2. The black or dark fluid that squid, octopuses, and similar animals squirt out to protect themselves.
   - Simple: The dark liquid that a squid or octopus shoots out to protect itself.
   - _The startled octopus released a cloud of ink and darted into the rocks._
   - _The restaurant serves a risotto colored jet black with squid ink._
4. Tattoo work, or the tattoos a person has. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Tattoos, or the work of putting tattoos on skin.
   - _The bartender's arms were covered in colorful ink from wrist to shoulder._
   - _He finally got new ink done to mark his daughter's birth._
6. A particular kind or color of ink, or a container of it.
   - Simple: One kind or color of ink, or a bottle of it.
   - _For glossy paper you need an ink that dries in seconds and won't smear._
   - _The calligrapher keeps a dozen inks on her desk, from deep black to bright vermilion._
9. Publicity, or attention from the press and other media. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Attention that someone or something gets in the news.
   - _The mayor's housing plan got plenty of ink in the local papers._
   - _Right now the scandal is getting more ink than the election itself._
10. Cheap red wine. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Red wine that does not cost much.
   - _The students passed around a jug of ink and toasted the end of exams._
   - _The bistro pours a glass of ink that is barely better than vinegar, but it costs almost nothing._

## Verb

3. To sign a contract or a similar formal document.
   - Simple: To sign an important paper, like a contract.
   - _The city hopes to ink the agreement with the developer before the end of the month._
   - _The singer inked a contract with a major label last spring._
5. To give someone a tattoo.
   - Simple: To put a tattoo on someone's skin.
   - _The artist refuses to ink anyone who shows up drunk._
   - _The same artist inked both brothers on a single afternoon._
7. To apply ink to something, or to cover or smear it with ink.
   - Simple: To put ink on something, or to cover it with ink.
   - _The officer inked each of her fingers and pressed them onto the card._
   - _Ink the roller evenly before you run it across the carved block._
8. Of a squid or octopus, to squirt out its dark protective fluid.
   - Simple: Of a squid or octopus, to shoot out a cloud of dark ink.
   - _The octopus inked twice and vanished into a crack in the reef._
   - _Squid tend to ink when a diver swims too close._

## Origin

From Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum (the purple ink Roman emperors used to sign documents), which came from Ancient Greek énkauston ("burned-in"), from en ("in") + kaíō ("burn"). In this sense it replaced the native Old English word blæc ("ink", literally "black").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ink (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).