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Added 2 October 2026

wince

/wɪns/ verb

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

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.
A horse winces.

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.

Origin

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.

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

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