prink

prink · verb¹

1. Old English · inherited fromprinc“a wink”
2. Middle English · inherited fromprinken“to wink, signal with the eye”
3. English todayprink

From Middle English prinken (“to wink, signal with the eye”), from prinke, prinche (“a wink, twinkling of the eye, momentary gesture”), from Old English princ (“a wink”). More at pry.

prink · noun, verb²

1. Middle Low German · derived fromprunken
2. Middle Dutch · derived fromprinken“to deck for show, parade in fine apparel”
3. Middle English · inherited frompranken“to trim”
4. English todayprink

Perhaps alteration (due to primp) of prank (“to deck, adorn”), from Middle English pranken (“to trim”), or from Middle Dutch prinken (“to deck for show, parade in fine apparel”) (from pronk (“show, display”) or from Middle Low German prunken (from prank (“display”)). Cognate with Middle Dutch pronken (“to flaunt”), German Prunk (“a show, parade, splendour”), Danish and Swedish prunk.

prink · verb³

Contraction of pre-drink.

Words from the same roots