twinkle

[twing-kuh l] /ˈtwɪŋ kəl/
verb (used without object), twinkled, twinkling.
1.
to shine with a flickering gleam of light, as a star or distant light.
2.
to sparkle in the light:
The diamond on her finger twinkled in the firelight.
3.
(of the eyes) to be bright with amusement, pleasure, etc.
4.
to move flutteringly and quickly, as flashes of light; flit.
5.
Archaic. to wink; blink.
verb (used with object), twinkled, twinkling.
6.
to emit (light) in intermittent gleams or flashes.
7.
Archaic. to wink (the eyes or eyelids).
noun
8.
a flickering or intermittent brightness or light.
9.
a scintillating brightness in the eyes; sparkle.
10.
the time required for a wink; twinkling.
11.
Archaic. a wink.
Origin
before 900; Middle English twinklen (v.), Old English twinclian; see twink, -le
Related forms
twinkler, noun
untwinkled, adjective
Examples from the web for twinkle
  • There's always a twinkle in a science writer's eye when real life imitates art.
  • His eyes twinkle as he praises the properties of witch-hazel and displays a set of antique razors.
  • He's got a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile, and he tells his tale in the rhythms of a natural-born storyteller.
  • And there is no battery that's so much as a twinkle in a chemist's eye that can match the energy to weight ratio of liquid fuel.
  • They blaze into being, twinkle merrily for microseconds, and die.
  • We know also that celestial objects that are near the horizon will twinkle more than those directly overhead.
  • Funny furious-he did it all with a twinkle in his eye-but furious.
  • But geometry, well, there's something about it that brings a twinkle to the eye.
  • Someone told me that if you see an object in the sky which does not twinkle, it is probably a planet.
  • If these disturbances are as big as the star, the star will appear to twinkle.
British Dictionary definitions for twinkle

twinkle

/ˈtwɪŋkəl/
verb (mainly intransitive)
1.
to emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; shine brightly and intermittently; sparkle: twinkling stars
2.
(of the eyes) to sparkle, esp with amusement or delight
3.
(rare) to move about quickly
4.
(also transitive) (rare) to wink (the eyes); blink
noun
5.
an intermittent gleam of light; flickering brightness; sparkle or glimmer
6.
an instant
7.
a rare word for wink1
Derived Forms
twinkler, noun
twinkly, adjective
Word Origin
Old English twinclian; related to Middle High German zwinken to blink
Word Origin and History for twinkle
v.

Old English twinclian, frequentative of twincan "to wink, blink;" related to Middle High German zwinken, German zwinkern, and probably somehow imitative. The noun is recorded from 1540s. Related: Twinkled; twinkling. Phrase in the twinkling of an eye is attested from c.1300.