inkling

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 * more likely from the rebracketing of an inklyng as a ninkiling, from Middle English 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 *h₁eng-, *yenǵ- (“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

1. Usually preceded by forms of to give: a slight hint, implication, or suggestion given.
   [T]he present recalled the past, robed in the memories of its thousand dark and damning deeds of ignorance and superstition, and gave inklings of a brighter and better future; … 1856, W. S. Balch, “Guiuk-Soui”, in C[aroline] M[ehitable Fisher] Sawyer, editor, The Rose of Sharon: A Religious Souvenir, Boston, Mass.: Abel Tompkins, and Sanborn, Carter & Bazin, →OCLC, page 192
   You ought to know something of French habits, at your age. You must have read books that give an inkling of it. 1893, Albert Ross, “‘She Will Probably Have Children.’”, in An Original Sinner (The Albatross Novels), New York, N.Y.: G. W. Dillingham Co., →OCLC, page 195
   A passage from one of her [Rosa Luxemberg's] letters written from prison to a young friend, Dr. Hans Diefenbacker, in the spring of 1917 will suffice to give an inkling of this passion: … 1961, Bertram D[avid] Wolfe, “Introduction”, in Rosa Luxemburg, The Russian Revolution; and Leninism or Marxism? (Ann Arbor Paperbacks for the Study of Communism and Marxism; AA57), Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, published 2005 (22nd printing), page 3
   Delhi's reaction was remarkably restrained in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. But as a result of the tragedy, the Indian military gave inklings of formulating a "Cold Start" doctrine, along with associated changes to military organization and weaponry and posture, that would allow it to carry out a quick, punitive response, on up to eight axes, to any similar future Pakistani transgression. 2015, Michael E[dward] O’Hanlon, “Conflicts Real, Latent, and Imaginable”, in The Future of Land Warfare, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, page 59
2. Often preceded by forms of to get or to have: an imprecise idea or slight knowledge of something; a suspicion.
   Living organisms had existed on earth, without ever knowing why, for over three thousand million years before the truth finally dawned on one of them. His name was Charles Darwin. To be fair, others had had inklings of the truth, but it was Darwin who first put together a coherent and tenable account of why we exist. 1976, Richard Dawkins, “Why are People?”, in The Selfish Gene, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1989 (1999 printing), page 1
3. (Britain, dialectal) A desire, an inclination.
   I requested brother Weder to come up into the stand and commence the preaching. But, inasmuch as he had his own notion about such things, having an inkling towards Quakerism within him,—that is, not to speak until he felt moved to do so, and this inspiration was wanting,—he refused to preach, and remained on his seat in the congregation. 17 September 1870, “The ‘United Brethren in Christ’”, in W[illia]m J. Allinson, editor, Friends’ Review. A Religious, Literary, and Miscellaneous Journal, volume XXIV, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published at 109 North Tenth Street; Merrihew & Son, printers,[…], →OCLC, page 61
   A strong culture maintains the stability of its concepts or doctrines in various ways. One way is to convince its members that their inklings towards change are pathological. But actually the range of health is very broad, and the flexibility of the human mind is great. It is not pathological for belief-systems to change, even continuously, provided we keep them stable enough to allow adequate functioning. 1996, Michael Cavanaugh, Biotheology: A New Synthesis of Science and Religion, Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, page 105
   In the Baathist government in Iraq generally, and Saddam Hussein's regime in particular, the nation-state's inkling towards fascist formation became manifest, undaunted by the necessities of political compromise or niceties of liberal temperance. 2000, Jacqueline S. Ismael, Shereen T. Ismael, “Gender and State in Iraq”, in Suad Joseph, editor, Gender and Citizenship in the Middle East (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East), Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, page 195

Etymology 2

From inkle + -ing.

verb

1. present participle and gerund of inkle