- [countable, uncountable]
a small plant that grows along the ground 蔓长春花 - (British English also winkle)[countable]
a small shellfish, like a snail, that can be eaten 滨螺，蛾螺，玉黍螺（可食用）
Word Originsense 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.