different between tinkle vs inkle

English

Etymology

From Middle English tinclen, equivalent to tink +? -le (frequentative suffix).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?t??k?l/
• Rhymes: -??k?l

Verb

tinkle (third-person singular simple present tinkles, present participle tinkling, simple past and past participle tinkled)

1. (intransitive) To make light metallic sounds, rather like a very small bell.
   • 1753, Robert Dodsley, Agriculture

     The sprightly horse / Moves to the music of his tinkling bells.

2. (transitive) To cause to tinkle.
3. (transitive) To indicate, signal, etc. by tinkling.

4. To hear, or resound with, a small, sharp sound.

   • And his ears tinkled, and the colour fled.

5. (intransitive, informal) To urinate.

Synonyms

• (urinate): See Thesaurus:urinate

Derived terms

• atinkle
• tinkle-down
• tinkle the ivories

Translations

Noun

tinkle (plural tinkles)

1. A light metallic sound, resembling the tinkling of bells or wind chimes.
2. (Britain, informal) A telephone call.

   Synonyms: call, ring

3. (informal, euphemistic) An act of urination.

Translations

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English inklen, inclen (“to give an inkling of, hint at, mention, utter in an undertone”), derived from inke (“apprehension, misgiving”), from Old English inca (“doubt, suspicion”), from Proto-Germanic *inkô (“ache, regret”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?eng- (“illness”). Cognate with Old Frisian jinc (“angered”), Old Norse ekki (“pain, grief”), Norwegian ekkje (“lack, pity”).

Verb

inkle (third-person singular simple present inkles, present participle inkling, simple past and past participle inkled)

1. (transitive, rare) To hint at; disclose.
2. (transitive, rare) To have a hint or inkling of; divine.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:allude

Related terms

• inkling

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

• incle

Noun

inkle (countable and uncountable, plural inkles)

1. Narrow linen tape, used for trimmings or to make shoelaces
   • 1598, William Shakespeare, ‘Love's Labour's Lost’, Act III:

     COSTARD - '… What's the price of this inkle?'

Anagrams

• Elkin, Klein, Kline, k-line, kline, lekin, liken