Etymology
1. O.E.
wincian "to nod, wink," from P.Gmc.
*wenkanan (cf. Du.
wenken, O.H.G.
winkan, Ger.
winken), a gradational variant of the root of O.H.G.
wankon "to stagger, totter," O.N.
vakka "to stray, hover," from PIE
*weng- "to bend, curve." The meaning "close an eye as a hint or signal" is first recorded c.1100; that of "close one's eyes to fault or irregularity" first attested c.1480. The noun is recorded from 1303; meaning "very brief moment of time" is attested from 1585.
2. From Middle English wynken, from Old English wincian (“to wink, make a sign, close the eyes, blink”, weak verb), from Proto-West Germanic *winkōn (“to close one's eyes”), from Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”). Cognate with Middle Low German winken (“to blink, wink”), German winken (“to nod, beckon, make a sign”). Related also to Saterland Frisian wäänke, Dutch wenken (“to beckon, motion”), Latin vacillare (“sway”), Lithuanian véngti (“to swerve, avoid”), Albanian vang (“tire, felloe”), Sanskrit वङ्गति (vaṅgati, “(he, she) limps”), French guigner (“to eye, sneak a look at”). See: Middle English '
wynken', Old English '
wincian', German, old spelling '
winken', Frisian, Saterlandic 'wäänke', Dutch '
wenken', Latin '
vacillare', Sanskrit '
वङ्गति', French '
guigner'.
Verbs referencing "wink"
Low Saxon winken, French
guigner, Cimbrian bénkhan, Luxembourgish
wénken, Sanskrit
वङ्गति, Lithuanian
vengti.