Monday, February 21, 2011

Inkhorn

Inkhorn \INK-horn\ , adjective;
1. Affectedly or ostentatiously learned; pedantic
noun;
1. A small bottle of horn or other material formerly used for holding ink

This word dates to the late 14th century from ink + horn. The use as an adjective for things (especially vocabulary) supposed to be beloved by scribblers and bookworms is first attested to the 1540's.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Monday, February 21
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

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