Periwinkle

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Periwinkle \Per"i*win`kle\, n. [From AS. pinewincla a shellfish,
     in which pine- is fr. L. pina, pinna, a kind of mussel, akin
     to Gr. ?. Cf. {Winkle}.] (Zool.)
     Any small marine gastropod shell of the genus {Littorina}.
     The common European species ({Littorina littorea}), in Europe
     extensively used as food, has recently become naturalized


     abundantly on the American coast. See {Littorina}.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: In America the name is often applied to several large
           univalves, as {Fulgur carica}, and {Fulgur
           canaliculata}.
           [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Periwinkle \Per"i*win`kle\, n. [OE. pervenke, AS. pervince, fr.
     L. pervinca.] (Bot.)
     A trailing herb of the genus {Vinca}.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The common perwinkle ({Vinca minor}) has opposite
           evergreen leaves and solitary blue or white flowers in
           their axils. In America it is often miscalled {myrtle}.
           See under {Myrtle}.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  periwinkle
       n 1: chiefly trailing poisonous plants with blue flowers
       2: commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large
          pinkish to red flowers [syn: {rose periwinkle}, {Madagascar
          periwinkle}, {old maid}, {Cape periwinkle}, {red
          periwinkle}, {cayenne jasmine}, {Catharanthus roseus}, {Vinca
          rosea}]
       3: small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked [syn: {winkle}]
       4: edible marine gastropod [syn: {winkle}]