periwinkle English · revision 1079

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ There are two words.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The plant comes from Middle English ''pervinkle'', a diminutive of ''pervinke'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) from Old English ''pervince'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la-lat|pervinca]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) short for Latin ''vincapervinca'',^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) perhaps from ''pervincīre'' “to bind around”.^(AHD)^(Etymonline) The sea snail is an alteration of Old English ''pīnewincle'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from Latin ''pīna'' “mussel” (from Greek) and Old English ''wincel'' “corner; spiral shell”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) probably influenced by the plant name.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The plant is named in Old English (about 1000).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) The sea snail is recorded from 1530.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle English the plant name was used figuratively for a person who excels, the flower of something,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and later playfully of a girl (1633).^(OED 1989) In heraldry it named the colour blue (1725),^(OED 1989) and from 1922 a light purplish blue like the flower.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) The snail's name also meant its shell (1625).^(OED 1989)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * about 1000 – Old English ''pervince'', the plant.^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+ * about 1300 – ''parvink''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * before 1475 – ''pervyncle''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1530 – the sea snail.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1922 – a light purplish-blue colour.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Any of several trailing evergreen plants of the genus ''Vinca'', with glossy leaves and blue or white flowers; [[myrtle]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Any of several small edible sea [[snail|alt=snails]], especially of the genus ''Littorina'', with a thick, cone-shaped spiral shell; a [[winkle]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The shell of such a snail.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)

+ # A light purplish blue.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[periwinkled]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[winkle]]

+ * [[vinca]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}