periwinkle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɹɪwɪŋk(ə)l/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɹiˌwɪŋkəl/

Etymology 1

Diminutive of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English perwinke, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin (vinca) pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca), of unknown origin.

Noun

periwinkle (plural periwinkles)

1. Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers. [from 10th c.]
   • 1653, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, Folio Society 2007, p. 220:

     The Periwinkle is a great binder, staying bleeding both at mouth and nose if some of the leaves be chewed.

2. Similar plants of genus Catharanthus.
3. A color with bluish and purplish hues, somewhat light.

   periwinkle:  

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:periwinkle.

Synonyms

• (Vinca): myrtle, vinca, creeping myrtle

Derived terms

• blue periwinkle ()
• common periwinkle ()
• bigleaf periwinkle ()
• greater periwinkle ()
• herbaceous periwinkle ()
• large periwinkle ()
• Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
• rose periwinkle rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

Translations

plant

• Belarusian: барвенак m (barvjenak)
• Czech: barvínek m, brčál (cs) m
• Esperanto: vinko
• Finnish: talvio (fi)
• French: pervenche (fr) f
• German: Immergrün (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: χαμαιδάφνη f (khamaidáphnē)

• Hebrew: וינקה f (vínka)
• Hungarian: mirtusz (hu)
• Ido: pervinko (io)
• Irish: fincín m, bláth na faochan m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pervinca (it) f
• Japanese: ツルニチニチソウ (tsurunichinisō), ニチニチソウ (nichinichisō)
• Latin: pervinca f
• Norman: bliuette f, pèrvenche f
• Polish: barwinek m
• Portuguese: pervinca f
• Romanian: saschiu (ro) m, pervincă f
• Russian: барви́нок (ru) m (barvínok)
• Serbo-Croatian: zimzelen (sh) m
• Slovene: zimzelen (sl) m
• Spanish: vinca
• Ukrainian: барвінок (uk) m (barvinok)

colour

• French: pervenche (fr) f
• Hungarian: babakék
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pervinca (it) m

Adjective

periwinkle (comparative more periwinkle, superlative most periwinkle)

1. Of pale bluish purple colour.

Translations

colour

• Hungarian: babakék
• Ido: pervinkea
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pervinca (it)

See also

• Periwinkle (color) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• vinblastine
• vincristine
• Appendix:Colors

Etymology 2

Periwinkle emerging from its shell

From Middle English [Term?], alteration of *pinewinkle (compare English dialectal pennywinkle), from Old English pīnewincle, compound of Latin pīna (“kind of mussel”), itself from Ancient Greek πίνη (pínē), variant of πίννα (pínna, “mussel”)) and Old English wincel (“corner”) (compare dialectal Danish vinkel (“snail shell”)). More at winch and wink.

Noun

periwinkle (plural periwinkles)

1. A mollusk of genus Littorina.

Synonyms

• (mollusk): winkle

Derived terms

• checkered periwinkle ()
• common periwinkle ()
• flat periwinkle ()
• rough periwinkle ()

Translations

mollusc

• Breton: bigorn (br) m
• Dutch: alikruik (nl) m or f
• French: bigorneau (fr) m, vigneau (fr) m, vignot (fr) m
• Galician: bígaro (gl) m, caramuxo (gl) m
• German: Uferschnecke f
• Hungarian: meténg
• Irish: faocha f, gioradán m, miongán m
• Italian: litorina f, littorale f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: タマキビガイ (tamakibigai)
• Maori: ngaeti, mākerekere, matatangata, mātangata
• Norman: v'licot m (Jersey)
• Portuguese: litorina f
• Romanian: litorină f
• Russian: литори́на (ru) f (litorína)
• Spanish: bigarro (es) m

See also

• Periwinkle (mollusc) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “periwinkle”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.