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twinkling

 - 6 dictionary results

twin⋅kling

[twing-kling]
–noun
1. an act of shining with intermittent gleams of light.
2. the time required for a wink; an instant.
3. Archaic. winking; a wink.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME; see twinkle, -ing 1

twin⋅kle

[twing-kuhl] verb, -kled, -kling, noun
–verb (used without object)
1. to shine with a flickering gleam of light, as a star or distant light.
2. to sparkle in the light: The diamond on her finger twinkled in the firelight.
3. (of the eyes) to be bright with amusement, pleasure, etc.
4. to move flutteringly and quickly, as flashes of light; flit.
5. Archaic. to wink; blink.
–verb (used with object)
6. to emit (light) in intermittent gleams or flashes.
7. Archaic. to wink (the eyes or eyelids).
–noun
8. a flickering or intermittent brightness or light.
9. a scintillating brightness in the eyes; sparkle.
10. the time required for a wink; twinkling.
11. Archaic. a wink.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME twinklen (v.), OE twinclian; see twink, -le


twinkler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To twinkling
twin·kle   (twĭng'kəl)   
v.   twin·kled, twin·kling, twin·kles

v.   intr.
  1. To shine with slight, intermittent gleams, as distant lights or stars; flicker; glimmer. See Synonyms at flash.

  2. To be bright or sparkling, as with merriment or delight: eyes that twinkled with joy.

  3. To blink or wink the eyes. See Synonyms at blink.

  4. To move about or to and fro rapidly and gracefully; flit.

v.   tr.
To emit (light) in slight, intermittent gleams.
n.  
  1. A slight, intermittent gleam of light; a sparkling flash; a glimmer.

  2. A sparkle of merriment or delight in the eye.

  3. A brief interval; a twinkling.

  4. A rapid to-and-fro movement.


[Middle English twinklen, from Old English twinclian, frequentative of twincan, to blink.]
twin'kler n., twink'ly adj.
twin·kling   (twĭng'klĭng)   
n.  
  1. The act of blinking.

  2. A blink or twinkle: the twinkling of a starry sky.

  3. The time it takes to blink once; an instant: disappeared in the twinkling of an eye.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

twinkle  (v.)
O.E. twinclian, frequentative of twincan "to wink, blink;" related to M.H.G. zwinken, Ger. zwinkern, and probably somehow imitative. The noun is recorded from 1548. Phrase in the twinkling of an eye is attested from 1303.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

twinkling

see in the twinkling of an eye.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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