flinch
/ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.92 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench.
Intransitive verb
verb
Alternative form of flense.
Example Sentences
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: flenchir, *hlankijan, *hlankijaną, *kleng-