n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English *periwinkle, alteration of Old English p ī newincle, from Latin pina, a kind of mussel (fr. Gk) + Old English -wincle (akin to Danish vincle snail shell)
Date: circa 1530
: any of various gastropod mollusks: as a : any of a genus ( Littorina ) of edible littoral marine snails also : any of various similar or related marine snails b : any of several No. American freshwater snails