/wɪns/
OriginFrom Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.
- A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away.
- A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment at will.
- intransitiveTo flinch as if in pain or distress.
“I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word.”
““Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It's absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her ”
“The two Gordon setters came obediently to heel. Sir Oswald Feiling winced as he turned to go home. He had felt a warning twinge of lumbago.”
- transitiveTo wash (cloth), dip it in dye, etc., with the use of a wince.
- To kick or flounce when unsteady or impatient.
Formswinces(plural) · winces(present, singular, third-person) · wincing(participle, present) · winced(participle, past) · winced(past) · Winces(plural)