What is "periwinkle"

Periwinkle \Per"i*win`kle\, n. [OE. pervenke, AS. pervince, fr. L. pervinca.] (Bot.) A trailing herb of the genus Vinca.

Note: 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.

Periwinkle \Per"i*win`kle\, n. [From AS. pinewincla a shellfish, in which pine- is fr. L. pina, pinna, a kind of mussel, akin to Gr. ?. Cf. Winkle.] (Zo["o]l.) 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.

Note: In America the name is often applied to several large univalves, as Fulgur carica, and Fulgur canaliculata.

evergreen plant, c.1500, diminutive of parvink (12c.), from Old English perwince, from Late Latin pervinca "periwinkle" (4c.), from Latin, perhaps from pervincire "to entwine, bind," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + vincire "to bind, fetter" (see wind (v.1)).

kind of sea snail, 1520s, apparently an alteration of Old English pinewincle (probably by influence of Middle English parvink; see periwinkle (n.1)); from Old English pine-, which probably is from Latin pina "mussel," from Greek pine. The second element is wincel "corner; spiral shell," from Proto-Germanic *winkil-, from PIE root *weng- "to bend, curve" (see wink (v.)).

Etymology 1 a. Of pale bluish purple colour. n. 1 Any of several evergreen plants of the genus ''Vinca'' with blue or white flowers. (from 10th c.) 2 A color with bluish and purplish hues, somewhat light. Etymology 2

n. A mollusk of genus (taxlink Littorina genus noshow=1).

1. n. chiefly trailing poisonous plants with blue flowers

2. commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers [syn: rose periwinkle, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, Cape periwinkle, red periwinkle, cayenne jasmine, Catharanthus roseus, Vinca rosea]

3. small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked [syn: winkle]

4. edible marine gastropod [syn: winkle]

Periwinkle may refer to:

In fauna:

• Periwinkle, a common name for a number of gastropod molluscs in the family Littorinidae
  • Common periwinkle (Littorina littorea)
  • Austrolittorina unifasciata
• Periwinkle, a regional name for the caddisfly larva

In flora:

• Catharanthus or Madagascar periwinkles
  • Catharanthus roseus or rosy periwinkle
• Vinca or European periwinkles
  • Vinca major or greater periwinkle
  • Vinca minor or lesser periwinkle
  • Vinca herbacea or herbaceous periwinkle

In other uses:

• Periwinkle (color), a pale shade of blue
• Periwinkle (film), a 1917 silent film by James Kirkwood
• USS Periwinkle (1864), a steamer procured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War
• Periwinkle Run, a stream in Ohio
• Periwinkle, a character in Blue's Clues
• Periwinkle, a character in The Bellflower Bunnies
• Periwinkle, a character in the 2012 animated film Secret of the Wings from Disney
• Periwinkle, the main character in Patricia A. McKillip's book, The Changeling Sea

Periwinkle is a color in the blue and violet family. Its name is derived from the lesser periwinkle or myrtle herb ( Vinca minor) which bears flowers of the same color.

The color periwinkle is also called lavender blue. The color periwinkle may be considered a pale tint of blue or a " pastel blue".

The first recorded use of periwinkle as a color name in English was in 1895.

Periwinkle is a 1917 American silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film, now believed to be lost, had a generally negative reception. The New York Times called it "a minor melodrama".