per·i·win·kle 1
(pĕr′ĭ-wĭng′kəl)n.1. Any of various marine snails of the family Littorinidae, having thick, cone-shaped, whorled shells, especially Littorina littorea, an edible species of the North Atlantic Ocean.
2. The shell or the flesh of any of these snails.
[Early Modern English, perhaps from alteration (possibly influenced by pervinkle, periwinkle (plant)) of an unattested Middle English reflex of Old English winewincle : Old English wine-, of unknown meaning (perhaps from alteration of Latin pīna, a kind of bivalve mollusk, from Greek pīnē, of unknown origin) + Old English -wincel, shellfish (perhaps ultimately (in reference to the shape of snail shells) from Germanic *wenk-, to move sideways, also the source of Old English wincel, corner, and wincian, wink (originally, "to bend the eyelids"), and German wanken, to waver).]
per·i·win·kle 2
(pĕr′ĭ-wĭng′kəl)n.1. Any of several shrubby, trailing, evergreen plants of the genus Vinca, especially V. minor, having glossy, dark green, opposite leaves and flowers with a blue, funnel-shaped corolla.
2. Any of several erect herbs of the genus Catharanthus, especially C. roseus, having flowers with a rose-pink or white salverform corolla and a closed throat.
3. A pale purplish blue.
[Middle English pervinkle, diminutive of pervinke, from Old English pervince, from Late Latin (vinca) pervinca, alteration (perhaps influenced by Latin pervincere, to conquer completely) of Latin vicapervica, perhaps originally a magical verbal formula (the use of the periwinkle in magical rituals being known later from medieval European traditions), perhaps akin to pervicus, stubborn (per-, intensive pref.; see per- + vincere, vic-, to conquer; see victor) or to vincīre, to bind together, hold fast, and vicia, vetch; see vetch.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
periwinkle
(ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkəl) n (Animals) any of various edible marine gastropods of the genus Littorina, esp L. littorea, having a spirally coiled shell. Often shortened to: winkle
[C16: of unknown origin]
periwinkle
(ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkəl) n1. (Plants) Also called (US): creeping myrtle or trailing myrtle any of several Eurasian apocynaceous evergreen plants of the genus Vinca, such as V. minor (lesser periwinkle) and V. major (greater periwinkle), having trailing stems and blue flowers
2. (Colours)
a. a light purplish-blue colour
b. (as adjective): a periwinkle coat.
[C14 pervenke, from Old English perwince, from Late Latin pervinca]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
per•i•win•kle1
(ˈpɛr ɪˌwɪŋ kəl)
n. any of various small gastropod mollusks of the family Littorinidae, of intertidal waters.
[1520–30; perhaps reflecting (through assimilation to
periwinkle2) Old English
pīnewincle=
pīne (< Latin
pīna < Greek
pîna, variant of
pínna kind of mollusk) +
wincle, c. dial. Dan
vinkel snail shell]
per•i•win•kle2
(ˈpɛr ɪˌwɪŋ kəl)
n. any plant of the genus Vinca, of the dogbane family, esp. V. minor, having glossy evergreen foliage and usu. blue-violet flowers.
Also called myrtle. [before 1000; earlier
pervinkle, perwinkle, alter. (see
-le) of Middle English
perwinke, pervinke < Anglo-French
pervenke (Old French
pervenche) < Late Latin
pervinca, Latin
vi(n)capervi(n)ca; compare Old English
peruince, Middle High German
ber(e)winke < Late Latin]
per′i•win`kled, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.