inkstone
Etymology
From ink + stone.
inkstone means A stone mortar used for grinding and holding ink in the East Asian art and calligraphy tradition. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why this word is great
INKSTONE — [Noun] A polished stone slab, traditionally of slate or shale, with a flat grinding surface and a shallow reservoir, used to prepare liquid ink from a dry ink-cake in East Asian calligraphy and painting. From the English words 'ink' (a colored fluid for writing) + 'stone' (hard solid mineral material). Unlike an inkwell—a passive receptacle for a pre-made commodity—or a generic mortar—a tool for brute reduction, indifferent to its contents—the inkstone is an instrument of alchemical becoming. It is the rhythmic, circular grind of the inkstick releasing the scent of pine soot and glue; the gradual darkening of clear water into a lustrous, storm-dark pool; and the patient, quieting labor that binds pigment and medium into a river of flowing thought—a secular ritual where preparation is the prelude to permanence.
noun
- A stone mortar used for grinding and holding ink in the East Asian art and calligraphy tradition.“He turns to the inkstone and picks up by the handles the two inkballs, rolling the leather facings together to freshen the ink. […] As the pressman returns the inkballs to the inkstone, the journeyman closes the frisket and tympan.”