different between twinkle vs twinkly

English

Etymology

From Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) +? -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?tw??kl?/
• Rhymes: -??k?l

Verb

twinkle (third-person singular simple present twinkles, present participle twinkling, simple past and past participle twinkled)

1. (of a source of light) to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer

   • These stars do not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.
2. (chiefly of eyes) to be bright with delight

   Synonym: sparkle

3. to bat, blink or wink the eyes
   • 1922, Mrs. Juliet M. Hueffer Soskice, Chapters from Childhood: Reminiscences of an Artist's Granddaughter, page 165

     She smiled and gave a little nod and twinkled her eyes […]
4. to flit to and fro
   • 1988, Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, page 190

     A butterfly twinkled among the vines […]

Synonyms

• glimmer
• scintillate
• wink

Derived terms

• twinkler

Translations

Noun

twinkle (plural twinkles)

1. a sparkle or glimmer of light
   • 1980, Robert De Beaugrande, Text, Discourse, and Process

     Soon the rocket was out of sight, and the flame was only seen as a tiny twinkle of light.

2. a sparkle of delight in the eyes.

3. a flitting movement
   • 1848, James Russell Lowell, Hebe

     I saw the twinkle of white feet,

4. (colloquial) A brief moment; a twinkling.
5. (childish) The female genitalia.

Translations

English

Etymology

twinkle +? -y

Adjective

twinkly (comparative twinklier, superlative twinkliest)

1. that twinkles
2. happy and cheerful

Derived terms

• twinkly-eyed