Word Study
periwinkle
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun periwinkle has 4 senses
- periwinkle(n = noun.plant) Array - chiefly trailing poisonous plants with blue flowers; Array is a member of genus vinca, vinca
- periwinkle(n = noun.plant) cape periwinkle, catharanthus roseus, cayenne jasmine, madagascar periwinkle, old maid, red periwinkle, rose periwinkle, vinca rosea - commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers; Array is a member of catharanthus, genus catharanthus
- periwinkle(n = noun.food) winkle - small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked; Array is a kind of seafood
- periwinkle(n = noun.animal) winkle - edible marine gastropod; Array is a kind of seasnail
has particulars: myrtle, vinca minor, large periwinkle, vinca major
is a kind of subshrub, suffrutex
is a kind of herb, herbaceous plant
is a member of genus littorina, littorina
CIDE DICTIONARY
periwinkle, n. [From AS. pinewincla a shellfish, in which pine- is fr. L. pina, pinna, a kind of mussel, akin to Gr. . Cf. Winkle.].
Any small marine gastropod shell of the genus Littorina. The common European species (Littorina littorea ), in Europe extensively used as food, has recently become naturalized abundantly on the American coast. See Littorina. [1913 Webster]
" In America the name is often applied to several large univalves, as Fulgur carica , and Fulgur canaliculata ."
[1913 Webster]
periwinkle, n. [OE. pervenke, AS. pervince, fr. L. pervinca.].
A trailing herb of the genus Vinca . [1913 Webster]
" The common perwinkle (Vinca minor ) has opposite evergreen leaves and solitary blue or white flowers in their axils. In America it is often miscalled myrtle . See under Myrtle ."
[1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
periwinkle, n.
1 any plant of the genus Vinca, esp. an evergreen trailing plant with blue or white flowers.
2 a tropical shrub, Catharanthus roseus, native to Madagascar.
1 any plant of the genus Vinca, esp. an evergreen trailing plant with blue or white flowers.
2 a tropical shrub, Catharanthus roseus, native to Madagascar.
periwinkle, n. = WINKLE.
Etymology
16th c.: orig. unkn.
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