The story
- Old Norse · derived fromhinka“to limp or hobble”
- Scots · derived fromhink
- English todayhinky
Possibly from obsolete Scots hink, from Old Norse hinka (“to limp or hobble”), probably not from Old English inca (“doubt; suspicion”). Possibly from hank (“a loop or coil or anything that curbs or restrains”). Possibly from African-American usage: hincty or hinkty.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.