hint

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɪnt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnt

Noun

hint (plural hints)

1. A clue.

   I needed a hint to complete the crossword.

2. A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.

   He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.

3. 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, […] .

4. (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.

5. (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.

Synonyms

• (small amount): see also Wikisaurus:modicum.

Descendants

• Japanese: ヒント (hinto)

Translations

clue

• Armenian: ակնարկ (hy) (aknark)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暗示 (zh) (ànshì)

• Czech: vodítko (cs) n, klíč (cs) m, nápověda f
• Dutch: aanwijzing (nl) f
• Finnish: vihje (fi)
• French: indication (fr)
• Galician: indicio m, pista (gl) f
• German: Hinweis (de) m
• Hebrew: רמז‏‎ m (remez)
• Icelandic: vísbending f

• Irish: leid (ga)
• Italian: accenno (it) m, allusione (it) f, indizio (it) m, aiuto (it) m, dritta (it) f, suggerimento (it) m
• Japanese: ヒント (hinto), 手がかり (tegakari)
• Maori: tīwhiri
• Polish: podpowiedź (pl) f
• Portuguese: dica (pt) f, indício (pt)
• Russian: подска́зка (ru) f (podskázka), наво́дка (ru) f (navódka), намёк (ru) m (namjók)
• Scottish Gaelic: gliocas m
• Spanish: pista (es) f, indicio (es) m
• Swedish: ledtråd (sv) c
• Turkish: ipucu (tr)

tacit suggestion

• Czech: narážka (cs) f, náznak m
• Finnish: vihje (fi)
• Russian: намёк (ru) m (namjók)

• Spanish: indirecta f
• Swedish: antydan (sv) c, vink (sv) c

tiny amount

• Finnish: hitunen, aavistus (fi)
• French: soupçon (fr) m
• Italian: pizzico (it) m
• Polish: odrobina (pl) f

• Portuguese: toque (pt) m, quê (pt) m, traço (pt) m
• Spanish: toque (es) m
• Swedish: vink (sv) c

opportunity, occasion, fit time

• Russian: возмо́жность (ru) f (vozmóžnostʹ), слу́чай (ru) m (slúčaj), шанс (ru) m (šans)

Verb

hint (third-person singular simple present hints, present participle hinting, simple past and past participle hinted)

1. (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. … .”

2. (transitive) To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner.

   to hint a suspicion

   • Alexander Pope

     Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 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.

3. (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

• allude
• imply
• insinuate
• suggest

Translations

express suggestively

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暗示 (zh) (ànshì), 暗指 (zh) (ànzhǐ)

• Finnish: vihjata, vihjaista
• French: faire allusion (fr)
• Galician: dar a entender
• Japanese: ほのめかす (ja) (honomekasu)

• Maori: whakamōhio
• Norwegian: antyde (no), hinte
• Portuguese: sugerir (pt), indiciar
• Russian: намека́ть (ru) impf (namekátʹ), намекну́ть (ru) pf (nameknútʹ)
• Spanish: dar un indicio

develop and add hints to a font

Anagrams

• thin

---

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowing from English hint.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

hint f, m (plural hints, diminutive hintje n)

1. hint

Synonyms

• aanwijzing

See also

• tip

Verb

hint

1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of hinten
2. imperative of hinten

---

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhint]
• Hyphenation: hint

Verb

hint

1. to scatter, sprinkle

   A cukrász porcukrot hint a süteményre. - The confectioner sprinkles powedered sugar on the cookie.

Conjugation

conjugation of hint

Infinitive			hinteni
Past participle			hintett
Present participle			hintő
Future participle			hintendő
Adverbial participle			hintve
Potential			hinthet
			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd person sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd person pl formal
Indicative mood	Present	Indefinite	hintek	hintesz	hint	hintünk	hintetek	hintenek
		Definite	hintem én téged/titeket hintelek	hinted	hinti	hintjük	hintitek	hintik
	Past	Indefinite	hintettem	hintettél	hintett	hintettünk	hintettetek	hintettek
		Definite	hintettem én téged/titeket hintettelek	hintetted	hintette	hintettük	hintettétek	hintették
Conditional mood	Present	Indefinite	hintenék	hintenél	hintene	hintenénk	hintenétek	hintenének
		Definite	hinteném én téged/titeket hintenélek	hintenéd	hintené	hintenénk	hintenétek	hintenék
Subjunctive mood	Present	Indefinite	hintsek	hints or hintsél	hintsen	hintsünk	hintsetek	hintsenek
		Definite	hintsem én téged/titeket hintselek	hintsd or hintsed	hintse	hintsük	hintsétek	hintsék
Conjugated infinitive			hintenem	hintened	hintenie	hintenünk	hintenetek	hinteniük

Synonyms

• szór