Squinked

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Narrowed the eyes partly shut in order to see more clearly or to peer at something
2. Looked at something with the eyes half closed, as when dazzled or trying to make out a distant object
3. Peered with the eyelids drawn together, often in bright light or against a blurry view

Etymology: "Squinked" is the past tense of "squink," a verb that imitates a sound. Its origin is imitative, the same kind of formation as "plink" and "quonk," words built to echo the noise they name rather than descended from an older language. The word belongs to the family of sharp, short, percussive sounds that English has long represented with a clipped consonant cluster and a short vowel. Because it is onomatopoeic, "squink" has no ancestor in Latin, Greek, or Old English to trace. Its meaning rests entirely on the sound it imitates, which is why it is most often heard in informal or playful speech describing a small, squeaky or squelching noise.