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periwinkle

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
per·i·win·kle 1  (pr-wngkl)
n.
1. Any of several small, often edible marine snails, especially of the genus Littorina, having thick, cone-shaped, whorled shells.
2. The shell of any of the periwinkles.

[Middle English *periwinkle, probably alteration (influenced by pervinkle, periwinkle (plant)) of Old English pnewincle : Latin pna, mussel (from Greek pn) + Old English -wincel, snail shell.]

per·i·win·kle 2  (pr-wngkl)
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. Also called myrtle.
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 Latin (vinca) pervinca, from pervincre, to wind about.]

periwinkle1
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various edible marine gastropods of the genus Littorina, esp L. littorea, having a spirally coiled shell Often shortened to winkle
[of unknown origin]

periwinkle2
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) Also called (US) creeping myrtle 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. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours)
a.  a light purplish-blue colour
b.  (as adjective) a periwinkle coat
[C14 pervenke, from Old English perwince, from Late Latin pervinca]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.periwinkleperiwinkle - chiefly trailing poisonous plants with blue flowers
genus Vinca, Vinca - periwinkles: low creeping evergreen perennials
myrtle, Vinca minor - widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers
large periwinkle, Vinca major - plant having variegated foliage and used for window boxes
subshrub, suffrutex - low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base
2.periwinkleperiwinkle - commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers
Catharanthus, genus Catharanthus - small genus of erect annual or perennial herbs native to Madagascar; widely naturalized in the tropics; formerly included in genus Vinca
herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
3.periwinkle - small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked
winkle, periwinkle - edible marine gastropod
seafood - edible fish (broadly including freshwater fish) or shellfish or roe etc
4.periwinkle - edible marine gastropod
seasnail - any of several creeping marine gastropods with a spirally coiled shell: whelks; tritons; moon shells; neritids
genus Littorina, Littorina - type genus of the family Littorinidae: periwinkles
winkle, periwinkle - small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked
Translations
periwinkle [ˈperɪˌwɪŋkl] N (Bot) → vincapervinca f (Zool) → caracol m de mar, bígaro m

periwinkle
n (Bot) → Immergrün nt; (Zool) → Strandschnecke f

periwinkle1 [ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkl] n (Bot) → pervinca
periwinkle1 [ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkl] n (Bot) → pervinca
periwinkle2 [ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkl] n (Zool) → littorina
periwinkle2 [ˈpɛrɪˌwɪŋkl] n (Zool) → littorina

periwinkle
n periwinkle [ˈperiwiŋkl]
a blue-flowered trailing plant. alikreukel حَلَزون أو قَوْقَع البَحر зимзелен brčál vintergrøn das Immergrün βίγκα (είδος ποώδους φυτού) flor de príncipe igihali پیچ تلگرافی talvio pervenche וִינקָה एक सदाबहार पौधा zimzelen meténg tanaman rambat berbunga biru hörpulauf pervinca にちにち草の類 (유럽 원산의 협죽도과(科) 식물) 빙카 žiemė kapmirte periwinkel maagdenpalm gravmyrt barwinek pervinca brebenoc барвинок zimozeleň zimzelen zelenika vintergröna พืชจำพวกพังพวยฝรั่ง Cezayir menekşesi 長春藤 барвінок ايک بيل دار پھول کا پودا cây dừa cạn


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Periwinkle is very much grown, and is expected to shut up her baby house and throw away her doll in a month or two more.
"I should like to be a periwinkle," said he, mysteriously, "on the top of a valley, and sing tooralloo-ralloo.
For December, and January, and the latter part of November, you must take such things as are green all winter: holly; ivy; bays; juniper; cypress-trees; yew; pine-apple-trees; fir-trees; rosemary; lavender; periwinkle, the white, the purple, and the blue; germander; flags; orangetrees; lemon-trees; and myrtles, if they be stoved; and sweet marjoram, warm set.
 
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