Twire

From Middle English twiren ("to peep out, pry about, twinkle, glance, gleam"), cognate with Middle High German zwieren ("to spy"), Bavarian zwiren, zwieren ("to spy, glance"). Perhaps related to Old English twinclian ("to twinkle"). More at twinkle.

Alternative forms

• tweer

Full definition of twire

Verb

1. (intransitive) To glance shyly or slyly; look askance; make eyes; leer; peer; pry.
• Beaumont and FletcherI saw the wench that twired and twinkled at thee.
• Ben JonsonWhich maids will twire 'tween their fingers.
2. (intransitive) To twinkle; sparkle; wink.
• ShakespeareWhen sparkling stars twire not.

Noun

1. A sly glance; a leer.

From Middle English *twir, *twirn, from Old English *twirn, *tweorn ("twine, thread"), from Proto-Germanic *twiznaz ("thread"), from Proto-Indo-European *duwo- ("two"). Cognate with Dutch tweern ("thread"), German Zwirn ("thread, twine"), Old English twīn ("twine"). More at twine.

Noun

1. A twisted filament; a thread.

Perhaps from a dialectal form of *twere, from Middle English *tweren, from Old English þweran ("to stir") (found in compound āþweran ("to agitate, stir")), from Proto-Germanic *þweraną ("to stir"), from Proto-Indo-European *twer- ("to turn, twirl, swirl, move"). Cognate with Bavarian zweren ("to stir"). Compare twirk, twirl.

Verb

1. (transitive) To twist; twirl.