Where does “twinkle” come from?

Twinkle comes from Middle English twinclen, from Old English twinclian, of unknown origin.

twinkle (English): to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer; to...

Definitions

  1. to shine with a flickering light; to glimmer; to...

Ancestry of “twinkle”, step by step

twinkle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English twink

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtwinkTo twinkle; sparkle; To wink; One or more very...
2Middle Englishtwinkento blink; twinkle
3Old Englishtwincianto wink; twinkle
4Proto-Germanictwinkōną—
5Proto-Germanictwint-to twinkle

via Middle English twinclen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtwinclen—
2Old Englishtwinclianto twinkle

Words derived from “twinkle”

Every word from Proto-Germanic twint- →
twinkle — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer