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Periwinkle vs Cerulean - What's the difference?

periwinkle | cerulean |

As nouns the difference between periwinkle and cerulean

is that periwinkle is any of several evergreen plants of the genus vinca with blue or white flowers or periwinkle can be a mollusk of genus while cerulean is a greenish-blue color.

As adjectives the difference between periwinkle and cerulean

is that periwinkle is of pale bluish purple colour while cerulean is sky-blue.

periwinkle

English

(wikipedia periwinkle)

Etymology 1

Diminutive of (etyl) perwinke, from (etyl) perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin (vinca) pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca), of unknown origin.

Noun

(en noun)
  • Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers.
  • * 1653 , (Nicholas Culpeper), The English Physician Enlarged , Folio Society 2007, p. 220:
    • The Periwinkle is a great binder, staying bleeding both at mouth and nose is some of the leaves be chewed.
  • A color with bluish and purplish hues, somewhat light.
    • (CCCCFF)
    Quotations
    * (English Citations of "periwinkle")
    Synonyms
    * (plant) myrtle, vinca

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of pale bluish purple colour.
    • Derived terms
    * Madagascar periwinkle * rose periwinkle * rosy periwinkle

    See also

    * * vinblastine * vincristine *

    Etymology 2

    (etyl), alteration of *pinewinkle'' (compare English dialectal pennywinkle), from (etyl) 'mussel') and -''wincle (compare Danish dial. vinkel 'snail shell'), from wincel 'corner'. More at winch and wink.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mollusk of genus .
    • Synonyms
    * (mollusk) winkle

    See also

    *

    cerulean

    English

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (-)
  • A greenish-blue color

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • sky-blue.
  • * 1920 , , The Understanding Heart , Chapter II
    • As far to the west as Monica could see, her world was a sea of fog, …?. Above it arched a cerulean sky; as the sun climbed to the zenith, …, the fog gradually took on a bluish tinge.

    See also

    *

    Anagrams

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