noun
periwinkle
PEHR-ih-wihng-kuhl
noun
1
A small trailing evergreen plant with blue, white, or purple flowers.
"Periwinkle grows well as ground cover in shady spots."
2
A small spiral-shelled sea snail found on rocky shores.
"They collected periwinkles from the rock pools at low tide."
3
A pale, slightly purplish-blue color.
"The bedroom walls were painted a soft periwinkle."
How to Use Periwinkle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a small blue-flowered plant, a tiny sea snail, or the pale blue-purple color named after the flower.
Common pairings
periwinkle blue
periwinkle shell
Word Forms
more periwinkle comparative, periwinkles plural, periwinkles plural, most periwinkle superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “periwinkle”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ grows well as ground cover in shady spots.
Etymology
From Old English perwince, ultimately from Latin pervinca, the name of the flowering plant.