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Added 17 October 2026

wimple

/ˈwɪmpəl/ noun

In Latin: calautica Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about wimple at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A cloth which usually covers the head and is worn around the neck and chin. It was worn by women in medieval Europe and is still worn by nuns in certain orders.
A fold or pleat in cloth.
A ripple, as on the surface of water.

verb

To cover with a wimple.
To draw down; to lower, like a veil.
To cause to appear as if laid in folds or plaits; to cause to ripple or undulate.
The wind wimples the surface of water.

Origin

From Middle English wympel, wimpel, from Old English wimpel (“veil, an article of women's dress; a covering for the neck, a cloak, a hood”), from Proto-Germanic *wimpilaz (“wimple, scarf, veil”). Cognate with Scots wympill (“wimple”), Dutch wimpel (“streamer, pennant”), German Wimpel (“pennant”), Swedish vimpel (“pennant, banner”), Icelandic vimpill (“hood, cowl”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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