The story
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A pot for holding ink, which was a necessary complement to pens without a built-in inkwell (such as a quill pen) (such pots were formerly ubiquitous but are now unusual except among people with artistic or historical interest in such pens). Full definition →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.