An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Wink

by Friedrich Kluge

Wink, masculine, ‘sign, wink, nod, hint,’ from the equivalent Middle High German winc (k), Old High German winch, masculine; allied to winken, verb, ‘to wink, beckon, nod,’ Middle High German winken, strong verb, Old High German winchan, weak verb, ‘to move sidewards, totter, nod, wink’; corresponding to Anglo-Saxon wincian, English to wink. If ‘to totter along, move with a sideward motion,’ is the primary meaning of the Teutonic root wink, the Aryan root may be the same as that of weichen (wī̆g, wī̆k). Related to the following word.