inkhorn term

American

noun

an obscure, affectedly or ostentatiously erudite borrowing from another language, especially Latin or Greek.

inkhorn term British

noun

an affectedly learned and obscure borrowing from another language, esp Greek or Latin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of inkhorn term

First recorded in 1535–45

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023