Etymology : Middle English enke, from Old French, from Late Latin encaustum, from neuter of Latin encaustus burned in, from Greek enkaustos, verbal of enkaiein to burn in; more at ENCAUSTIC
Pronunciation : i[ng]k
Function : noun
Date : 13th century
1. colored fluid contained in pens and other printing devices. mark with ink; stain with ink. ink\ink\ , n. (mach.) the step, or socket, in which the lower end of a millstone spindle runs.ink \ink\, n. [oe. enke, inke, of. enque, f. encre, l. encaustum the purple red ink with which the roman emperors signed their edicts, gr. , fr. burnt in, encaustic, fr. to burn in. see:
encaustic, caustic.].
2. a fluid, or a viscous material or preparation of various kinds (commonly black or colored), used in writing or printing. make there a prick with ink. deformed monsters, foul and black as ink.
3. a pigment. see:
india ink, under india.note: ordinarily, black ink is made from nutgalls and a solution of some salt of iron, and consists essentially of a tannate or gallate of iron; sometimes indigo sulphate, or other coloring matter,is added. other black inks contain potassium chromate, and extract of logwood, salts of vanadium, etc. blue ink is usually a solution of prussian blue. red ink was formerly made from carmine (cochineal), brazil wood, etc., but potassium eosin is now used. also red, blue, violet, and yellow inks are largely made from aniline dyes. indelible ink is usually a weak solution of silver nitrate, but carbon in the form of lampblack or india ink, salts of molybdenum, vanadium, etc., are also used. sympathetic inks may be made of milk, salts of cobalt, etc. see:
sympathetic ink (below).
4. The step, or socket, in which the lower end of a millstone spindle runs.
5. A fluid, or a viscous material or preparation of various kinds , used in writing or printing.
6. A pigment.
7. See India ink, under India.
8. To put ink upon; to supply with ink; to blacken, color, or daub with ink. dark protective fluid ejected into the water by cuttlefish and other cephalopods a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing fill with ink; "ink a pen" append one's signature to; "They inked the contract".
9. Ink is the coloured liquid used for writing or printing. The letter was handwritten in black ink. Fluid or paste of various colours (usually black or dark blue) used for writing and printing, composed of a pigment or dye in a liquid "vehicle. " Early inks used lampblack (a form of carbon) or coloured juices, extracts, or suspensions of plant, animal, and mineral substances. Modern writing inks usually contain ferrous sulfate (see:
iron) with a small amount of an acid; on paper, they darken and bond, becoming permanent. Coloured and washable inks usually contain soluble synthetic dyes. Printing inks are formulated for various requirements (including colour, opacity, fade resistance, pliability, odourlessness, drying behaviour, and health and environmental safety) for uses in offset, letterpress, screen, ink-jet, laser, and other printing.