indelible ink
1
4.6
- noun
- /ɪnˈdɛlɪbəl ɪŋk/
:
tinta indeleble
- Please write on your body in indelible ink if you are doing direct action.
- mark with indelible ink
Examples
-
I highlighted it in yellow, then wrote in the margin, in bright blue indelible ink, "THIS MEANS YOU!"
Fiction book (2000) -
I go to the refrigerator and pull out a casserole that has the indelible ink and tape strip that says "mac 'n cheese."
Fiction book (2000) -
A current state-issued ID and dip your finger in indelible ink.
Blog text (5) -
At the top of the photo was stamped in red indelible ink "Manhattan County Coroner's Office."
Fiction book (2000) -
But the moment your mouth starts to make that "y..." sound, your forehead will immediately be stamped with a giant, red "CHEATER" in indelible ink.
Blog text (16) -
To return again and again over decades to a detailed chronicle, picking up where one left off and bringing a unified work to completion, must feel like doing a lifelong crossword puzzle in indelible ink.
Fiction book (2000) -
On the bottom of each, in indelible ink on heavy tape, they print their names: N. Goodloe, E. and L. Tuckett, I. Makin, J. Hendrick, and N. MacChesney.
Fiction book (2000) -
To ensure security, officials used indelible ink to mark voters' thumbs after they cast their ballots.
-
The artist preferred the indelible ink for her sketches, knowing they would last without fading.
-
During elections, indelible ink is used to prevent voters from casting multiple ballots.
Synonyms
A liquid for writing names on clothes that does not wash out
How Permanent
1
4.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a type of ink that cannot be removed' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'indelible' (lasting, not removable) with 'ink' (writing/pigmented liquid); the adjective straightforwardly modifies the noun. This compositional adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Indelible ink is a name for ink that cannot be washed or erased; indelible means 'cannot be removed' and ink is the liquid used to write. That's why people use it for marks that must last, like signing important papers or marking voters so they cannot vote again.