Link Centre Dictionary

flinch

UK/ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/ US/ˈfl̥ɪnt͡ʃ/ uncommon
verb (1) noun (1)

verb

1.

draw back, as with fear or pain

  • “she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf”
Synonyms

noun

1.

Origin

From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), from Old French flenchir, flanchir, from Frankish *hlankijan, from Proto-Germanic *hlankijaną (“to bend, twist, flex”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind”). Cognate with Old High German hlenken, whence Middle High German lenken (“to bend”), Modern German lenken (“to cause to veer or turn aside, steer”). Attested in English since the 16th century.

Phrases

  • two for flinching

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.