Added 10 October 2026
pilliwinks
/ˈpɪlɪwɪŋks/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pilliwinks at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A torture device for squeezing the fingers; a thumbscrew.
Origin
From Middle English pirewinkes (“instrument of torture for squeezing the thumbs, thumbscrew”) [and other forms]; further origin unknown. It has been suggested that the word is a variant of Middle English pervink, pervinke (“periwinkle (plant; Vinca minor or Vinca major); (figuratively) evil man”), but the Oxford English Dictionary doubts this due to the difference in meaning. Compare Swedish pille-, related to pilla (“fiddle with the fingers”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)