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): /ˈtwɪŋkl̩/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

twinkle (third-person singular simple present twinkl, present participle ing, 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.

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Isaac Newton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Walter Scott and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 […]

   • (Can we date this quote by L'Estrange and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 (laʔlaʔa)
• Armenian: առկայծել (hy) (aṙkaycel), փայլատակել (hy) (pʻaylatakel)
• Danish: skinne
• Esperanto: brili (eo)
• Finnish: tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• Georgian: ელვარება (elvareba), კრთომა (ḳrtoma), ციმციმი (cimcimi), კაშკაში (ḳašḳaši), ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva), ციალი (ciali), გამოკრთომა (gamoḳrtoma), გაელვება (gaelveba), კამკამი (ḳamḳami), ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva)
• Hebrew: נצנץ (nitsnéts)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: micō (la)
• Maori: rikoriko, rikoriko, kikiwa, hinātore, taukapo (of a star), whakawhetū (like a star)
• Navajo: dah dinisxǫs
• Polish: migotać (pl)
• Portuguese: cintilar (pt), tremeluzir
• Quechua: chinpiy
• Russian: мерца́ть (ru) impf (mercátʹ)
• Spanish: titilar (es)

to be bright with delight

• Danish: skinne
• Finnish: säihkyä, tuikkia (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: сия́ть (ru) impf (sijátʹ)
• Spanish: fulgurar (es), refulgir (es)

to bat, blink or wink the eyes

• Danish: blinke
• Finnish: vilkuttaa
• French: cligner (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zwinkern (de)
• Russian: мига́ть (ru) (migátʹ)

to flit to and fro

• Danish: fare (da)
• Finnish: pyrähdellä (fi)
• French: virevolter (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: порха́ть (ru) (porxátʹ), порха́ть туда́-сюда́ impf (porxátʹ tudá-sjudá)

Noun

twinkle (plural twinkles)

1. a sparkle or glimmer of light
   • (Can we date this quote by Robert De Beaugrande and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), "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
   • (Can we date this quote by James Russell Lowell and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), "Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell",

     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)
• Finnish: tuike, pilke (fi), välke (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: мерца́ние (ru) n (mercánije)

sparkle of delight in the eyes

• Finnish: pilke (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: сия́ние (ru) n (sijánije)

flitting movement

• Russian: порха́ние (ru) n (porxánije)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}