| 释义 |
peri·win·kle
I. \ˈperəˌwiŋkəl, -rēˌ-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: alteration (probably influenced by periwinkle) (II) of Middle English pervenke, pervinke, perwynke, from Old English perfince, perwince, from Latin pervinca, pervica, (vinca) pervinca, perhaps from per through + -vinca, -vica (from vincire to bind) — more at for, vetch
1. : any of several plants of the genus Vinca: as
a. : a trailing evergreen herb (V. minor) with solitary blue or white flowers often cultivated and frequently escaping — called also myrtle
b. : a trailing foliage plant (V. major) often variegated and used for window boxes — called also large periwinkle
c. : a commonly cultivated woody herb (V. rosea) of the Old World tropics having opposite entire leaves and large white, pinkish, or rosy flowers often with a red eye — called also Cape periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, red periwinkle
2. or periwinkle blue : a variable color averaging a light purplish blue that is redder and deeper than lupine or zenith
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: from (assumed) Middle English, alteration (influenced by Middle English pervinke, perwynke) of (assumed) Middle English pinewinkle (whence English dialect pennywinkle), from Old English pīnewincle, from Latin pīna, a mussel (from Greek pinē, pina) + Old English -wincle (akin to Danish vinkel snail shell); akin to Old English wincel corner, Old Frisian winkel, Old High German winkil corner, Old English wincian to wink — more at wink
: any of various gastropod mollusks: as
a. : any of numerous edible shallow-water or littoral marine snails (genus Littorina) having the shell thick, solid, and conical without an umbilicus and the foot longitudinally divided; also : the shell of such a mollusk
b. : any of various other marine snails or their shells similar or related to those of Littorina (as various American members of Thais or in Australia some of the Trochidae)
c. : any of several No. American freshwater snails
 [periwinkle a]
III. intransitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to gather periwinkles
< go periwinkling on the beach > |