tinkle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to make a series of light, clear ringing sounds

   The tiny bells tinkled whenever the door opened.

2. 2
   noun

   a light, clear ringing sound, like that of a small bell or glass

   A faint tinkle of glass came from the kitchen.

From Middle English tinclen, an imitative formation related to tink with the frequentative suffix -le. Its repeated consonants echo the series of small metallic sounds the word describes.

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