1An Old World plant with flat five-petalled, typically bluish flowers and glossy leaves. Some kinds are grown as ornamentals and some contain alkaloids used in medicine.
Genera Vinca and Catharanthus, family Apocynaceae
‘At the base of a tree, for example, you might have better luck with wood chips or shade-loving ornamental plants like ivy, periwinkle, or pachysandra.’
‘You can even plant periwinkle, bugle and ground ivy in the gaps in your log or rock pile - this could make a fun project for an older child.’
‘Like Mexican heather, periwinkles are tender.’
‘I painted cream-colored ivy and periwinkle flowers on the Lincoln green wood.’
‘I found periwinkles and primroses in full flower, bluebells, just coming along nicely thank you, grape hyacinths, and polyanthus.’
‘The corolla of the normal periwinkle flower is salver-shaped and the stamens are located in the throat of the corolla tube.’
‘We make our way carefully through the periwinkle, a little wild patch of lilies of the valley, and some vicious canes of blackberry.’
‘We crept close to a house, knelt into monkey grass or button weed or periwinkle, and looked through the lighted windows.’
1.1mass nounA purple-blue colour like that of a periwinkle flower.
‘the sky was a clear periwinkle and the sun sparkled like a shiny jewel’
‘Anne was wearing a periwinkle evening gown with small puffed sleeves’
‘The basic color scheme is a soft buttery yellow for the cabinets, with periwinkle blue on the cabinet handles.’
‘She bent to retrieve the periwinkle colored ribbon neatly folded on the floor.’
‘It's a light purple, almost a periwinkle, sleeveless, and with little diamonds all over.’
‘Rubbing at her tired eyes, she looked outside, seeing the ethereal colors of dawn, the light purples, periwinkle blues mixing together.’
‘His models wore white pan stick, triangular crimped wigs and periwinkle boots.’
‘She started by choosing light and midtone shades of the same four colors - periwinkle, yellow, green, and peachy white.’
‘Periwinkle eye shadow was dusted across her eyelids.’
‘Rather than removing the fence, or disguising it with vines or shrubs, the owners had it painted periwinkle blue.’
‘She painted the oven doors periwinkle blue then touched up knobs and dials in a bright orange enamel paint.’
‘The style is available in sizes M-2XL in brick, plum, periwinkle, lime, denim, pine, and orange.’
Origin
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.
‘Here the interior is inlaid with millions of beautiful shells, scallops, paloudres, clams, periwinkles, mussels, oysters and rogans.’
‘The fish in this dish consists of whatever the fishermen caught earlier that morning - usually prawns, mussels, periwinkles, cod and sometimes octopus.’
‘In 1881, a thunderstorm in Worcester brought down tons of periwinkles and hermit crabs.’
‘Crabs are a particular favourite of mine - shore crabs are numerous, and every other periwinkle shell seems to harbour a hermit crab.’
‘In Galway Bay, Ireland, a live limpet or periwinkle used to be placed at the corners of the house to ensure successful fishing.’
Origin
Mid 16th century of unknown origin.
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