twinkle

English

Etymology

From Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) +‎ -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋkəl

Verb

twinkle (third-person singular simple present twinkles, present participle twinkling, simple past and past participle twinkled)

1. (of a source of light) To shine with a flickering light; to glimmer.

   We could see the lights of the village twinkling in the distance.

   • 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:

     These stars do not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.

   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     The western sky twinkled with stars.

2. (chiefly of eyes) To be bright with delight.

   Synonym: sparkle

   His shrewd little eyes twinkled roguishly.

3. To bat, blink or wink the eyes.
   • 1922, Mrs. Juliet M. Hueffer Soskice, Chapters from Childhood: Reminiscences of an Artist's Granddaughter, page 165

     She smiled and gave a little nod and twinkled her eyes […]

   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     The Owl Fell a Moping and Twinkling.

4. To flit to and fro.
   • 1988, Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, page 190

     A butterfly twinkled among the vines […]

Synonyms

• glimmer
• scintillate
• wink

Derived terms

• twinkler

Translations

to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer

• Arabic: لَأْلَأَ‎ (ar) (laʔlaʔa)
• Armenian: առկայծել (hy) (aṙkaycel), փայլատակել (hy) (pʿaylatakel)
• Azerbaijani: sayrışmaq
• Bulgarian: блещукам (bg) (bleštukam)
• Czech: blikat (cs) impf
• Danish: skinne
• Esperanto: brili (eo)
• Finnish: tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• Georgian: ციმციმებს (cimcimebs), იელვებს (ielvebs), კრთის (ḳrtis), კრთება (ḳrteba), ბჟუტავს (bžuṭavs), ციალებს (cialebs), კამკამებს (ḳamḳamebs), კიაფობს (ḳiapobs)
• Hebrew: נצנץ‎ (nitsnéts)
• Latin: micō (la)
• Maori: rikoriko, rikoriko, kikiwa, hinātore, taukapo (of a star), whakawhetū (like a star)
• Navajo: dah dinisxǫs
• Old English: blīcan
• Polish: migotać (pl)
• Portuguese: cintilar (pt), tremeluzir
• Quechua: chinpiy
• Romanian: pâlpâi (ro), licări (ro), sclipi (ro)
• Russian: мерца́ть (ru) impf (mercátʹ)
• Spanish: titilar (es)
• Swedish: tindra (sv)

to be bright with delight

• Bulgarian: блестя (bg) (blestja)
• Danish: skinne
• Finnish: säihkyä, tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• German: funkeln (de)
• Russian: сия́ть (ru) impf (sijátʹ)
• Spanish: fulgurar (es), refulgir (es)

to bat, blink or wink the eyes

• Azerbaijani: qırpmaq
• Bulgarian: примигвам (bg) (primigvam)
• Danish: blinke
• Finnish: vilkuttaa (fi)
• French: cligner (fr)
• German: zwinkern (de)
• Russian: мига́ть (ru) (migátʹ)

to flit to and fro

• Danish: fare (da)
• Finnish: pyrähdellä (fi)
• French: virevolter (fr)
• Russian: порха́ть (ru) (porxátʹ), порха́ть туда́-сюда́ impf (porxátʹ tudá-sjudá)

Noun

twinkle (plural twinkles)

1. A sparkle or glimmer of light.
   • 1980, Robert De Beaugrande, Text, Discourse, and Process

     Soon the rocket was out of sight, and the flame was only seen as a tiny twinkle of light.

2. A sparkle of delight in the eyes.

   He was a rotund, jolly man with a twinkle in his eye.

3. A flitting movement.
   • 1848, James Russell Lowell, Hebe

     I saw the twinkle of white feet,

4. (colloquial) A brief moment; a twinkling.
5. (childish) The female genitalia.

   The popular Swedish cartoon song about genitals was translated as "Willie and Twinkle".

Translations

sparkle or glimmer of light

• Armenian: առկայծում (hy) (aṙkaycum)
• Bulgarian: блещукане (bg) n (bleštukane)
• Finnish: tuike, pilke (fi), välke (fi)
• Georgian: ციმციმი (cimcimi), ციალი (ciali), გაელვება (gaelveba), ელვარება (elvareba), აელვარება (aelvareba), კრთომა (ḳrtoma), გამოკრთომა (gamoḳrtoma), ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva), კვესა (ḳvesa), კამკამი (ḳamḳami), კაშკაში (ḳašḳaši), ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva), კიაფი (ḳiapi)
• Russian: мерца́ние (ru) n (mercánije)

sparkle of delight in the eyes

• Bulgarian: блясък (bg) m (bljasǎk)
• Finnish: pilke (fi)
• Georgian: ნაკვესი (naḳvesi)
• Russian: сия́ние (ru) n (sijánije)

flitting movement

• Russian: порха́ние (ru) n (porxánije)