dimple
/ˈdɪm.pəl/ noun, verb
Forms dimples dimpling dimpled
- noun A small depression or indentation in a surface. “The accident created a dimple in the hood of the car.”
- noun A small natural depression on the skin, especially on the face near the corners of the mouth. “You have very cute dimples.”
- noun A small depression, made with a punch on a metal object, as a guide for further drilling.
- verb (transitive) To form a small indentation in (something). “The hailstorm dimpled the roof of our car.”
- verb (intransitive) To form a dimple (noun sense 1.1) in one's face by smiling. “The young girl dimpled in glee as she was handed a cupcake.”
- verb To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.
Synonyms
dent depression indentation indent mar dimpled chad pregnant chad
Etymology
From Middle English dimpel, dimpil, dympull, from Old English *dympel (“pit, depression”), from Proto-West Germanic *dumpil, from Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpaz (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole, pool”) + -le (diminutive suffix).
Cognate with German Low German Dümpel, German Tümpel (“pond, pool”). Related also to Old English dyppan (“to dip”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A slight natural depression or indentation on the surface of some part of the body, esp. on the cheek or chin. Milton.
- noun A slight indentation on any surface.
- verb To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.
- verb To mark with dimples or dimplelike depressions. Shak.
Etymology [Prob. a nasalized dim. of dip. See Dip, and cf. Dimble.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dimple”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details