[Early Modern English, perhaps from alteration (possibly influenced by pervinkle, periwinkle (plant)) of an unattested Middle English reflex of Old English winewincle : Old English wine-, of unknown meaning (perhaps from alteration of Latin pīna, a kind of bivalve mollusk, from Greek pīnē, of unknown origin) + Old English -wincel, shellfish (perhaps ultimately (in reference to the shape of snail shells) from Germanic *wenk-, to move sideways, also the source of Old English wincel, corner, and wincian, wink (originally, "to bend the eyelids"), and German wanken, to waver).]