Winkle — Win kle, n. [AS. wincle.] (Zo[ o]l.) (a) Any periwinkle. Holland. (b) Any one of various marine spiral gastropods, esp., in the United States, either of two species of {Fulgar} ({Fulgar canaliculata}, and {Fulgar carica}). [1913 Webster] Note:… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Winkle — Winkle, Rip Van →↑Rip Van Winkle … Dictionary of contemporary English
winkle — ► NOUN ▪ a small edible shore dwelling mollusc with a spiral shell. ► VERB (winkle out) chiefly Brit. ▪ extract or obtain with difficulty. ORIGIN shortening of PERIWINKLE(Cf. ↑periwinkle) … English terms dictionary
winkle — edible mollusk, 1580s, shortening of PERIWINKLE (Cf. periwinkle) (2) … Etymology dictionary
winkle — winkle1 [wiŋ′kəl] n. 1. short for PERIWINKLE2 2. any of various gastropod mollusks that are very destructive to oysters and clams winkle2 [wiŋ′kəl] vt. winkled, winkling [< ?] Informal to pry or rout from cover, secrecy, etc.: w … English World dictionary
winkle — I UK [ˈwɪŋk(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms winkle : singular winkle plural winkles 1) a type of small shellfish that can be eaten as food 2) British informal a penis. This word is used especially by children. II UK [ˈwɪŋk(ə)l] / US verb… … English dictionary
winkle — win|kle1 [ˈwıŋkəl] n BrE [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: PERIWINKLE 2] a small sea animal that lives in a shell and is eaten as food winkle 2 winkle2 v winkle out [winkle sb/sth<=>out] phr v 1.) to make someone leave a place ▪ … Dictionary of contemporary English
winkle — I. noun Etymology: by shortening Date: 1585 periwinkle II II. intransitive verb (winkled; winkling) Etymology: frequentative of wink Date: 1791 twinkle III. tra … New Collegiate Dictionary
Winkle — Recorded in many spellings including Winkle, Winkell, Winckle, and the patronymics Winckles, Winkles, Winckless and Winkless, this is an English surname. It is locational, and is said to originate from the village of Wincle, near the town of… … Surnames reference
winkle — win|kle1 [ wıŋkl ] noun count type of small SHELLFISH that can be eaten as food winkle win|kle 2 [ wıŋkl ] verb ,winkle out phrasal verb transitive BRITISH INFORMAL 1. ) to get something such as information from someone when they did not intend… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English