/ ˈɪŋklɪŋ; NAmE / noun
[ usually sing. ] inkling (of sth) | inkling (that ... ) a slight knowledge of sth that is happening or about to happen
SYN suspicion :
He had no inkling of what was going on.
The first inkling I had that something was wrong was when I found the front door wide open.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense a mention in an undertone, a hint ): from the rare verb inkle utter in an undertone , of unknown origin.