/ ˈperiwɪŋkl; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C , U ] a small plant that grows along the ground
2.
[ C ] = winkle
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WORD ORIGIN
sense 1 late Old English peruince , from late Latin pervinca , reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman French pervenke . The change of -v- to -w- and the addition of -le seem to have occurred before the appearance of periwinkle winkle .
sense 2 mid 16th cent.: of unknown origin.