periwinkle1
/ˈpɛrɪwɪŋk(ə)l
/noun
1An Old World plant with flat five-petalled, typically bluish flowers and glossy leaves. Some kinds are grown as ornamentals and some contain alkaloids used in medicine.
- Genera Vinca and Catharanthus, family Apocynaceae.
- You can even plant periwinkle, bugle and ground ivy in the gaps in your log or rock pile - this could make a fun project for an older child.
- Like Mexican heather, periwinkles are tender.
1.1 (also periwinkle blue) [mass noun] A purple-blue colour like that of a periwinkle flower: the sky was a clear periwinkle and the sun sparkled like a shiny jewel [as modifier]: Anne was wearing a periwinkle evening gown with small puffed sleeves...
- The basic color scheme is a soft buttery yellow for the cabinets, with periwinkle blue on the cabinet handles.
- She bent to retrieve the periwinkle colored ribbon neatly folded on the floor.
- It's a light purple, almost a periwinkle, sleeveless, and with little diamonds all over.
Origin
Late Old English peruince, from late Latin pervinca, reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman French pervenke. The change of -v- to -w- and the addition of -le seem to have occurred before the appearance of periwinkle2.
periwinkle2
/ˈpɛrɪwɪŋk(ə)l/noun
Another term for winkle.Here the interior is inlaid with millions of beautiful shells, scallops, paloudres, clams, periwinkles, mussels, oysters and rogans....
- The fish in this dish consists of whatever the fishermen caught earlier that morning - usually prawns, mussels, periwinkles, cod and sometimes octopus.
- In 1881, a thunderstorm in Worcester brought down tons of periwinkles and hermit crabs.
Origin
Mid 16th century: of unknown origin.