different between scent vs inkling

English

Alternative forms

• sent (obsolete)

Etymology

From c.1400, borrowed from Old French sentir (“to feel, perceive, smell”), from Old French sentire "to feel, perceive, sense", from Latin sent?re, present active infinitive of senti?. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”), and thus related to Dutch zin (“sense, meaning”), German Sinn (“sense”), Low German Sinn (“sense”), Luxembourgish Sënn (“sense, perception”), Saterland Frisian Sin (“sense”), West Frisian sin (“sense”). The -c- appeared in the 17th century, possibly by influence of ascent, descent, etc., or by influence of science.

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?nt, IPA^(key): /s?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt
• Homophones: cent, sent

Noun

scent (countable and uncountable, plural scents)

1. A distinctive odour or smell.

2. An odour left by an animal that may be used for tracing.

3. The sense of smell.

4. A perfume.
5. (figuratively) Any trail or trace that can be followed to find something or someone, such as the paper left behind in a paperchase.
6. (obsolete) Sense, perception.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene:

     A fit false dream, that can delude the sleeper's sent.

Usage notes

• Almost always applied to agreeable odors (fragrances).

Synonyms

Derived terms

• scented
• scentless

Translations

Verb

scent (third-person singular simple present scents, present participle scenting, simple past and past participle scented)

1. (transitive) To detect the scent of; to discern by the sense of smell.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To have a suspicion of.

3. (transitive) To impart an odour to.
4. (intransitive, archaic) To have a smell.

   • Thunderbolts […] do sent strongly of brimstone.

5. To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.

Translations

Anagrams

• cents

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /???kl??/
• Hyphenation: inkl?ing

Etymology 1

From Middle English ningkiling, nyngkiling (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), and then either:

• possibly a variant of nikking, nyckyng (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), possibly from nikken (“to mark (a text) for correction (?)”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerunds from verbs); or
• from inklen (“to mention (in a low voice); to tell (the truth)”) [and other forms] + -ing, -inge; inklen may be derived from inca, inke (“dread, fear; doubt; danger, risk (?)”), from Old English inca (“doubt, uncertainty; suspicion; fear; cause for complaint, grievance, grudge, ill-will, offence; quarrel; occasion, opportunity”), from Proto-Germanic *inkô (“ache; grief; regret”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?eng-, *yen?- (“illness”). The English word would then be analysable as inkle +? -ing.

Sense 3 (“desire, inclination”) may have been influenced by incline (“to tend to believe or do something”) or French enclin (“inclined, prone”).

Noun

inkling (plural inklings)

1. Usually preceded by forms of to give: a slight hint, implication, or suggestion given.

   Synonym: intimation
2. Often preceded by forms of to get or to have: an imprecise idea or slight knowledge of something; a suspicion.
3. (Britain, dialectal) A desire, an inclination.

Translations

Etymology 2

From inkle +? -ing.

Verb

inkling

1. present participle of inkle

References

Anagrams

• kilning, klining, linking