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Added 9 October 2026

twinkle

/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/ verb

In Latin: micō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about twinkle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To shine with a flickering light; to glimmer.
We could see the lights of the village twinkling in the distance.
To be bright with delight.
His shrewd little eyes twinkled roguishly.
To bat, blink or wink the eyes.

noun

A sparkle or glimmer of light.
A sparkle of delight in the eyes.
He was a rotund, jolly man with a twinkle in his eye.
A flitting movement.

Origin

From Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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