: any of a genus (Littorina) of edible littoral marine snails
also: any of various similar or related marine snails
b
: any of several North American freshwater snails
Illustration of periwinkle
periwinkle a
Examples of periwinkle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Kendi welcomed me into his office in a pink shirt and a periwinkle blazer with a handkerchief tucked neatly in its pocket.—Rachel Poser January Lavoy Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 4 June 2024 The brand's bathing suit tops and bottoms are available in over a dozen fun, bright colors, from neon pink and purple to more subtle shades like periwinkle.—Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024 Taylor Zakhar Perez and Tyler James Williams have taken to dreamy periwinkle suits (Perez at the 2024 Oscars and Wiliams at the 2024 SAG Awards) while Chris Evans matched the carpet in a double-breasted crimson suit by Dolce & Gabbana at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars party.—Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024 Very Peri is a blend of blues combined with a violet-red undertone that produces a periwinkle shade.—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2023 Her custom periwinkle Armani Privé had plenty of dazzling details, including a plunging neckline, feather detail around the waist and hemline and jewels for days.—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 This year’s mixer is an iridescent periwinkle called Blue Salt.—Anna Kramer, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2024 Anemones, sea stars, urchins, barnacles, periwinkles and other marine creatures inhabit the park’s tide pools — some of the best in Southern California.—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 Shoppers can choose from 12 colors, including green, periwinkle blue, and sage.—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'periwinkle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English perwinke, from Old English perwince, from Vulgar Latin *pervinca, short for Latin vincapervinca
Noun (2)
Middle English *periwinkle, alteration of Old English pīnewincle, from Latin pina, a kind of mussel (from Greek) + Old English -wincle (akin to Danish vincle snail shell)
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Share