Inkling

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A character in the video game Splatoon who switches between squid and human forms and uses ink weapons

noun
/ˈɪŋklɪŋ/

Jargon

: Inkling

Players can customize their Inklings with different outfits and weapons before entering the arena.

Examples

In Splatoon, an Inkling uses ink-based weapons to compete in colorful, fast-paced turf wars.
Inkling became available at Follett bookstores this summer, thanks to a deal struck by the two companies.

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Inkling works with textbook publishers, including Pearson and McGraw-Hill, to turn their content into electronic books.

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That familiarity is one reason Follett Higher Education Group, the company that manages the bookstore, started offering Inkling interactive textbooks this year, a textbook platform available for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and through any web browser.

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In the popular game Splatoon, an Inkling can transform from a squid into a humanoid to battle opponents.

Surface Forms

Inkling singular

Inklings plural

Morphology

Inkling = ink (semi-transparent) = ink + ling

The name is transparently built on 'ink' and the English suffix '-ling', but the resulting sense is a franchise-specific species name rather than a fully predictable lexical meaning.

Etymology

Inkling in Splatoon is a playful name made from ink and the small suffix -ling, which means 'small' or 'young' and appears in words like duckling. So the name suggests a small creature of 'ink', which fits the squid people who change between squid and human forms and fight with ink.