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win·kle²

(wĭngkəl)

tr.v. win·kled, win·kling, win·kles
Chiefly British

To pry, extract, or force from a place or position. Often used with out.

[From WINKLE¹ (from the process of extracting periwinkles from their shells).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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