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wince

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wince

1  [wins] verb, winced, winc⋅ing, noun
Use wince in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to draw back or tense the body, as from pain or from a blow; start; flinch.
–noun
2. a wincing or shrinking movement; a slight start.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME winsen, var. of winchen, wenchen to kick < AF *wenc(h)ier; OF guenc(h)ier < Gmc. Cf. wench, winch1

Related forms:
wincer, noun
winc⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
winc⋅ing⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. blench, quail. Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant. Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion: to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language. Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance: to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum. Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared: to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle. Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance: to quail before an angry mob.
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wince

2  [wins]
–noun
winch 1 (def. 4).

winch

1  [winch]
–noun
1. the crank or handle of a revolving machine.
2. a windlass turned by a crank, for hoisting or hauling.
3. any of various devices for cranking.
4. Also, wince. Textiles.
a. any machine equipped with rollers that guide cloth through a dye or finishing solution in an open vat.
b. a roller between two dyeing vats for passing cloth from one vat to another.
–verb (used with object)
5. to hoist or haul (a load) by means of a winch.
Origin:
bef. 1050; ME winche, OE wince pulley; akin to wench, wince 1 , wink 1

Related forms:
wincher, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To wince
wince   (wĭns)   
intr.v.   winced, winc·ing, winc·es
To shrink or start involuntarily, as in pain or distress; flinch.
n.  A shrinking or startled movement or gesture.

[Middle English wincen, to kick, from Old North French *wencier, variant of Old French guencir, of Germanic origin.]
winc'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

wince  (v.)
c.1225, winch, probably from O.N.Fr. *wenchier (in O.Fr. guenchir "to turn aside, avoid"), from Frank. *wenkjan (cf. O.H.G. wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N. vakka "to stray, hover"). Originally of horses. Modern form is attested from c.1290.

winch  (n.)
O.E. wince, from P.Gmc. *winkjo-, from PIE *weng- (see wink (v.)). The verb meaning "to hoist with a winch" is recorded from 1529.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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