inkhorn terms
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A common term in Eliza- bethan times for pedantic expressions which smell of the lamp. The inkhorn was the receptacle for ink which pedants and peda- gogues wore fastened to the clothing.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “inkhorn terms” mean?
A common term in Eliza- bethan times for pedantic expressions which smell of the lamp. The inkhorn was the receptacle for ink which pedants and peda- gogues wore fastened to the clothing.
Is “inkhorn terms” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.