Meaning

noun a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

noun closing one eye quickly as a signal

noun a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly

originFrom Middle English wynken, from Old English wincian (“to wink, make a sign, close the eyes, blink”, weak verb), from Proto-West Germanic *winkōn (“to close one's eyes”), from Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”). Cognate with Middle Low German winken (“to blink, wink”), German winken (“to nod, beckon, make a sign”). Related also to Saterland Frisian wäänke, Dutch wenken (“to…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0