hint
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English hinten, hynten, variant of henten (“to lay hold of, catch”), from Old English hentan (“to seize, grasp”), from Proto-Germanic *hantijaną. More at hent. Related to hunt.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
hint (plural hints)
- A clue.
- I needed a hint to complete the crossword.
- A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.
- He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.
- A small, barely detectable amount of.
- There was a hint of irony in his voice.
- I could taste a hint of lemon in the wine.
- 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest[1]:
- Mother very rightly resented the slightest hint of condescension. She considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, […] .
- (computing) Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering. Also known as hinting.
- This font does not scale well; at small point sizes it has no hinting at all, and the hints that it has for the 10- and 12-point letter 'g' still need work.
- (obsolete) An opportunity; occasion; fit time.
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2
- I, not remembering how I cried out then, / Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint / That wrings mine eyes to't.
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2
Synonyms[edit]
- (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum.
Descendants[edit]
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb[edit]
hint (third-person singular simple present hints, present participle hinting, simple past and past participle hinted)
- (intransitive) To suggest tacitly without a direct statement; to provide a clue.
- She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes.
- 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad[2]:
- “I have tried, as I hinted, to enlist the co-operation of other capitalists, but experience has taught me that any appeal is futile that does not impinge directly upon cupidity. … .”
- (transitive) To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner.
- to hint a suspicion
- 1735, [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London; Dublin: Re-printed by George Faulkner, bookseller, […], OCLC 6363280:
- Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar […], OCLC 928184292:
- We shall not describe this tragical scene too fully; but we thought ourselves obliged, by that historic integrity which we profess, shortly to hint a matter which we would otherwise have been glad to have spared.
- (transitive) To develop and add hints to a font.
- The typographer worked all day on hinting her new font so it would look good on computer screens.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:allude
Translations[edit]
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Anagrams[edit]
Danish[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
hint n (singular definite hintet, plural indefinite hint or hints)
Etymology 2[edit]
See the etymology of the main entry.
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
hint
Dutch[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
hint f or m (plural hints, diminutive hintje n)
Synonyms[edit]
See also[edit]
Verb[edit]
hint
- first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of hinten
- imperative of hinten
Hungarian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From an unattested stem of unknown origin + -t (causative suffix).[1][2]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
hint
- (transitive) to scatter, sprinkle (to cause a substance to fall in fine drops (for a liquid substance) or small pieces (for a solid substance))
Conjugation[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
(With verbal prefixes):
References[edit]
- ^ Zaicz, Gábor. Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (’Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN
- ^ hint in Tótfalusi, István. Magyar etimológiai nagyszótár (’Hungarian Comprehensive Dictionary of Etymology’). Budapest: Arcanum Adatbázis, 2001; Arcanum DVD Könyvtár →ISBN
Further reading[edit]
- hint in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’An Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
hint n (definite singular hintet, indefinite plural hint, definite plural hinta or hintene)
- a hint
References[edit]
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
hint n (definite singular hintet, indefinite plural hint, definite plural hinta)
- a hint
References[edit]
- “hint” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
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