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winkle

[ wing-kuh l ]
/ ˈwɪŋ kəl /
British
|

noun

any of various marine gastropods; periwinkle1.

verb (used with object), win·kled, win·kling.

Informal. to pry (something) out of a place, as winkle meat is dug out of its shell with a pin (usually followed by out).

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Nearby words

  1. wink,
  2. wink at,
  3. wink reflex,
  4. winkelried,
  5. winker,
  6. winkle-pickers,
  7. winlestrae,
  8. winnable,
  9. winnard,
  10. winnebago

Origin of winkle

First recorded in 1575–85; short for periwinkle1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for winkle

British Dictionary definitions for winkle

winkle

/ (ˈwɪŋkəl) /

noun

See periwinkle 1

verb

(tr; usually foll by out, out of, etc) informal, mainly British to extract or prise out

Word Origin for winkle

C16: shortened from periwinkle 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for winkle

winkle

n.

edible mollusk, 1580s, shortening of periwinkle (n.2).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper