Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A colored linen tape woven on a simple narrow loom and used for trimmings.
  • noun The yarn or thread used in making this tape.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A kind of tape or braid formerly employed as a trimming, being sewed upon the surface as in modern braided work. It was either of a single color or of several in stripes.
  • noun A material formerly used for decorative needlework, either crewel or embroidery-wool, or perhaps silk or flax.
  • noun In modern use, a broad linen tape; wrought spinel.
  • To hint at; disclose. In this use somewhat uncertain, being found only in the following passage:
  • To have a hint or inkling of; divine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb Prov. Eng. To guess.
  • noun A kind of tape or braid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Narrow linen tape, used for trimmings or to make shoelaces
  • verb transitive, rare To hint at; disclose.
  • verb transitive, rare To have a hint or inkling of; divine.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a linen tape used for trimming as a decoration

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Apparently from earlier *ingle, perhaps from an incorrect division of lingle, lingel.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word inkle.

Examples

  • Tapitha Brample, spinster; he mought as well have called her inkle-weaver, for she never spun and hank of yarn in her life —

    The Expedition of Humphry Clinker 2004

  • One related word you might not have heard of is the verb "inkle," a back-formation of "inkling" that occurs in some British English dialects and means "to have an idea or notion of."

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2010

  • Now I want to play 500 when my grands are in town so I can inkle botany.

    Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway 2008

  • Then there's the incredibly speedy weaving on an inkle loom, to be found here.

    Archive 2009-09-01 a stitch in time 2009

  • With these properties, the parchment tablets are wonderful for weaving with historical material, presentations in a museum environment please be aware that inkle looms and "tablet weave looms" are not medieval at all!

    Archive 2009-10-01 a stitch in time 2009

  • With these properties, the parchment tablets are wonderful for weaving with historical material, presentations in a museum environment please be aware that inkle looms and "tablet weave looms" are not medieval at all!

    All the Gory Details, parchment tablets. a stitch in time 2009

  • Then there's the incredibly speedy weaving on an inkle loom, to be found here.

    Brain Test a stitch in time 2009

  • Presently, the fumes of the wine moved her to strike her hand on the inkle of my petticoat trousers, whereby it became loosed, unknown of either of us, and my trousers fell down in our play.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • A quasi-sacred part of it is the inkle, tape or string, often a most magnificent affair, with tassels of pearl and precious stones; and

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • You left us early, noble Master Grahame, but, good faith, we had a carouse to your honour — we heard butt ring hollow ere we parted; we were as loving as inkle-weavers — we fought, too, to finish off the gawdy.

    The Fortunes of Nigel 2004

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • in Middle English an utterance in an undertone

    January 3, 2008

  • To attend a party to which one hasn't an invitation. (according to NPRs Says You)

    September 3, 2011