wince

Meanings

Noun

• A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away.
• A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment at will.

Verb

• To flinch as if in pain or distress.
• To wash (cloth), dip it in dye, etc., with the use of a wince.
• To kick or flounce when unsteady or impatient.

Origin

• From Middle English wincen, winchen, from Anglo-Norman *wenchir, Old Northern French *wenchier (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wenkjan, from Proto-Germanic *wankjan. See also German winken.