inkhorn

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The Word of the Day for May 14 is:

inkhorn   \INK-horn\   adjective
     : ostentatiously learned : pedantic 

Example sentence: 
     The professor peppered his lectures with inkhorn terms of pseudo-Latin and 
Greek, a practice he felt essential to instilling in his students the proper 
respect for his knowledge.

Did you know? 
     Picture an ancient scribe, pen in hand, a small ink bottle made from an 
animal's horn strapped to his belt, ready to record the great events of 
history. In 14th-century England, such ink bottles were dubbed (not 
surprisingly) "inkhorns." During the Renaissance, learned writers often 
borrowed words from Latin and Greek, eschewing vulgar English alternatives. But 
in the 16th century, some scholars argued for the use of native terms over 
Latinate forms, and a lively intellectual debate over the merits of each began. 
Those who favored English branded what they considered ostentatious Latinisms 
"inkhorn terms" after the bottles carried by scholars, and since then we have 
used "inkhorn" as an adjective for pretentious language. 





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