Meaning

noun a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash

noun merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance

verb gleam or glow intermittently

originFrom Middle English twinclen, twynclen, from Old English twinclian (“to twinkle”), equivalent to twink (“to wink; blink; twinkle”) + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0