Nearby Words

Winked

[wingk] Origin

wink

1[wingk]
verb (used without object)
1.
to close and open one or both eyes quickly.
2.
to close and open one eye quickly as a hint or signal or with some sly meaning (often followed by at): She winked at him across the room.
3.
(of the eyes) to close and open thus; blink.
4.
to shine with little flashes of light; twinkle: The city lights winked in the distance.
verb (used with object)
5.
to close and open (one or both eyes) quickly; execute or give (a wink).
6.
to drive or force by winking (usually followed by back or away): She attempted to wink back the tears.
7.
to signal or convey by a wink.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Winked is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
noun
8.
an act of winking.
9.
a winking movement, especially of one eye in giving a hint or signal.
10.
a hint or signal given by winking.
11.
the time required for winking once; an instant or twinkling: I'll be there in a wink.
12.
a little flash of light; twinkle.
EXPAND
13.
the least bit: I didn't sleep a wink last night.
COLLAPSE
14.
wink at, to ignore deliberately, as to avoid the necessity of taking action: to wink at minor offenses.

Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English winken, Old English wincian; cognate with German winken to wave, signal; (noun) Middle English: nap, derivative of the v.

wink·ing·ly, adverb
un·wink·ing, adjective


1. Wink, blink refer to rapid motions of the eyelid. To wink is to close and open either one or both eyelids with a rapid motion. To blink suggests a sleepy, dazed, or dazzled condition in which it is difficult to focus the eyes or see clearly: Bright sun makes one blink. 4. sparkle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Winked
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wink
O.E. wincian "to nod, wink," from P.Gmc. *wenkanan (cf. Du. wenken, O.H.G. winkan, Ger. winken), a gradational variant of the root of O.H.G. wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N. vakka "to stray, hover," from PIE *weng- "to bend, curve." The meaning "close an eye as a hint or signal" is first recorded c.1100;
EXPAND
that of "close one's eyes to fault or irregularity" first attested c.1480. The noun is recorded from c.1300; meaning "very brief moment of time" is attested from 1585.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

wink (wĭngk)
v. winked, wink·ing, winks

  1. To close and open the eyelid of one eye deliberately, as to convey a message, signal, or suggestion.

  2. To close and open the eyelids of both eyes; blink.

n.
A quick closing and opening of the eyelids; a blink.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature