winkle

noun

win·kle | \ ˈwiŋ-kəl

Definition of winkle

(Entry 1 of 3)

: periwinkle entry 2

winkle

verb (1)

winkled; winkling\ ˈwiŋ-k(ə-)liŋ

Definition of winkle (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: twinkle

winkle

verb (2)

winkled; winkling\ ˈwiŋ-k(ə-)liŋ

Definition of winkle (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 chiefly British : to displace, remove, or evict from a position —usually used with out

2 chiefly British : to obtain or draw out by effort —usually used with out no attempt to winkle out why they do it— Joan Bakewell

Winkle and WWI

If you have ever extracted a winkle from its shell, then you understand how the verb winkle came to be. The word winkle is short for periwinkle, the name of a marine or freshwater snail. Periwinkle is ultimately derived from Latin pina, the name of a mussel, and Old English wincle, a snail shell. Evidently the personnel of World War I's Allied Powers found their duty of finding and removing the enemy from the trenches analogous to extracting a well-entrenched snail and began using winkle to describe their efforts. The action of "winkling the enemy out" was later extended to other situations, such as "winkling information out of someone."