inkstand

Everyday

A stand or tray on a desk that holds pots of ink, pens and sometimes sand or a pen-wiper, used in the days of dip pens. tree →

In the lessons

History word from school desks and offices before ballpoint pens. In Alice in Wonderland, at the trial, the Queen throws an inkstand at Bill the Lizard; when ink trickles down his face he can use it to write with his finger. It tells the reader of an old-fashioned desk or office.

Examples

• The Queen threw an inkstand at the poor Lizard. tree →
• Grandpa's desk still has a brass inkstand. tree →
• Old school desks had a hole for the inkwell. tree →
• The clerk dipped his pen and put it back in the inkstand. tree →
• A silver inkstand stood on the king's desk. tree →
• In the museum we saw an inkstand with two glass pots. tree →
• "You have had very little experience," replied the inkstand. tree →

Note

Inkstand (the whole stand) is not quite the same as inkwell (the pot of ink set into a desk), but people often mix them. Plural: inkstands.