Hinted

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈhɪntɪd/

Definitions

1. To imply or mention something in a way that is not direct or explicit
2. To refer to an idea or fact without stating it clearly or openly
3. To give a subtle or indirect indication about something without saying it plainly

Etymology: "Hinted" is the past tense of "hint," and the verb carries a surprising history: it began as a word for seizing something physically. "Hint" comes from Middle English "hinten" (also "hynten"), a variant of "henten," meaning "to lay hold of" or "catch." That traces back to Old English "hentan," "to seize, grasp," and further to a Proto-Germanic root shared with "hunt." "Hent" survives as a doublet of "hint," a separate English word from the same source, though it has faded from everyday use. The shift from grabbing to suggesting happened gradually. A hint once meant something taken hold of, and the sense of an opportunity seized or a chance grasped developed from there. Only later did it come to mean a slight, indirect indication, the grasping of a clue rather than the object itself. So when you hint at something, you are offering a small handle that the listener can take hold of.

Synonyms: suggested, implied, indicated

Antonyms: stated, declared