WINK

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wincian; akin to Old High German winchan to stagger, ~ and perhaps to Latin vacillare to sway, Sanskrit vañcati he goes crookedly Date: before 12th century intransitive verb to shut one eye briefly as a signal or in teasing, to close and open the eyelids quickly, to avoid seeing or noting something, to gleam or flash intermittently ; t~le , 5. to come to an end, to stop shining, to signal a message with a light, transitive verb to cause to open and shut, to affect or influence by or as if by blinking the eyes, II. noun Date: 14th century a brief period of sleep ; nap , 2. a hint or sign given by ~ing, an act of ~ing, the time of a ~ ; instant , a flicker of the eyelids ; blink