periwinkle

periwinkle · noun, adjective¹

1. Latin · derived frompervinca
2. Old English · derived fromperfince
3. Middle English · derived fromperwinke
4. English todayperiwinkle

Diminutive of Middle English perwinke, from Old English perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca).

periwinkle · noun²

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromπίνη
2. Latin · derived frompīna“kind of mussel”
3. Old English · inherited frompīnewincle
4. Middle English · inherited from[Term?]
5. English todayperiwinkle

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.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 10th c. Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers.