PERIWINKLE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English perwinke, from Old English perwince, from Vulgar Latin *pervinca, short for Latin vincapervinca Date: before 12th century any of several trailing or woody evergreen herbs of the dogbane family: as, a. a European creeper ( Vinca minor ) widely cultivated as a ground cover and for its blue or white flowers, a trailing plant ( Vinca major ) with large blue flowers that is used as a ground cover and in window boxes, rosy ~ , a light purplish blue, II. noun Etymology: Middle English *~, alteration of Old English pīnewincle, from Latin pina, a kind of mussel (from Greek) + Old English -wincle (akin to Danish vincle snail shell) Date: circa 1530 any of various gastropod mollusks: as, any of a genus ( Littorina ) of edible littoral marine snails, any of several North American freshwater snails