wince
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L29155 on Wikidata ↗verb
- to flinch, grimace, or jump involuntarily, as in pain or distress
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /wɪns/
name
Etymology: German surname, probably Americanized from Winz, Wintz.
- A surname.
noun
Etymology: From Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.
- 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
Etymology: From Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.
- To flinch as if in pain or distress.
“I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word.”
““Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It's absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her pain.”
- To wash (cloth), dip it in dye, etc., with the use of a wince.
- To kick or flounce when unsteady or impatient.
“A horse winces.”