Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “crinkle” come from?

crinkle (English) comes from Middle English crenclen, from Old English crinclian, from Old English crincan, from Proto-Germanic kringaną, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

crinkle (English): To fold, crease, crumple, or wad; To rustle, as...

Definitions

  1. To fold, crease, crumple, or wad; To rustle, as...

Ancestry of “crinkle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcrenclento bend, buckle
2Old Englishcrinclian—
3Old Englishcrincanto curl; to crinkle
4Proto-Germanickringanąto turn, fall, yield
5Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

Words derived from “crinkle”

  • crinkly
  • crinkliness
  • crinkleroot
  • uncrinkle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →