Meaning & use
inkwell
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A small pot or hollow, often fitted into a desk, that holds ink into which a pen is dipped.
Grammar: Countable noun: an inkwell, two inkwells.
Patterns
- dip a pen in the inkwell
- an inkwell on the desk
The old school desk still had a round hole where an inkwell once sat.
She dipped her quill into the glass inkwell and began to write.
The museum displays a silver inkwell that belonged to a famous poet.
Word forms
| plural | inkwells |
|---|
Common combinations
- glass inkwell
- A heavy glass inkwell sat beside the blotter.
- dip into the inkwell
- He dipped the nib into the inkwell again.
- brass inkwell
- The antique shop sold a brass inkwell with a hinged lid.
- fill an inkwell
- The clerk had to fill the inkwell every morning.
- empty inkwell
- An empty inkwell lay on its side in the drawer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inkpot
- Inkpot is a common British word for the same container, though it can suggest a free-standing pot instead of one built into a desk.
- ink bottle
- An ink bottle is the container ink is sold in, while an inkwell is a smaller vessel kept on the desk for dipping.
Word family
Commonly confused: inkwell or ink well?
inkwell vs ink well
Written as two words this looks like a phrase meaning that ink is in good health; the container is always one word.
Practice
What would a writer using a dip pen do with an inkwell?
Choose one answer.
An inkwell holds ink so a nib can be dipped in. It is not for storing letters or cleaning paper.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inkwell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.