twinkle

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”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/

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• Rhymes: -ɪŋkəl

twinkle (third-person singular simple present twinkles, present participle twinkling, simple past and past participle twinkled)

1. (of a source of light) to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer

   We could see the lights of the village twinkling in the distance.

   • 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], OCLC 1118497469:

     These stars do not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.

   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, OCLC 270129598:

     The western sky twinkled with stars.

2. (chiefly of eyes) to be bright with delight

   Synonym: sparkle

   His shrewd little eyes twinkled roguishly.

3. to bat, blink or wink the eyes
   • 1922, Mrs. Juliet M. Hueffer Soskice, Chapters from Childhood: Reminiscences of an Artist's Granddaughter, page 165

     She smiled and gave a little nod and twinkled her eyes […]

   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:

     The Owl Fell a Moping and Twinkling.

4. to flit to and fro
   • 1988, Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, page 190

     A butterfly twinkled among the vines […]

• glimmer
• scintillate
• wink

• twinkler

twinkle (plural twinkles)

1. a sparkle or glimmer of light
   • 1980, Robert De Beaugrande, Text, Discourse, and Process

     Soon the rocket was out of sight, and the flame was only seen as a tiny twinkle of light.

2. a sparkle of delight in the eyes.

   He was a rotund, jolly man with a twinkle in his eye.

3. a flitting movement
   • 1848, James Russell Lowell, Hebe

     I saw the twinkle of white feet,

4. (colloquial) A brief moment; a twinkling.
5. (childish) The female genitalia.

   The popular Swedish cartoon song about genitals was translated as "Willie and Twinkle".