wimple
/ˈwɪmpəl/noun, verb
wimple is spelled W-I-M-P-L-E: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wimple means “A cloth which usually covers the head and is worn around the neck and chin. It was worn by women in medieval Europe and is still worn by nuns in…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wimple is wimples.
How many letters and syllables are in wimple?
| Letters | 6: W-I-M-P-L-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wimple?
Wimple appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce wimple?
- /ˈwɪmpəl/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-wimple.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wimple
- wimples plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wimpling participle, present
- wimpled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wimple mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A cloth which usually covers the head and is worn around the neck and chin. It was worn by women in medieval Europe and is still worn by nuns in certain orders.
- 2
A fold or pleat in cloth.
- 3
A ripple, as on the surface of water.
- 4
A curve or bend.
- 5
A flag or streamer.
verb
- 1
To cover with a wimple.
- 2
To draw down; to lower, like a veil.
- 3
To cause to appear as if laid in folds or plaits; to cause to ripple or undulate.
The wind wimples the surface of water.
- 4
To flutter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does wimple come from?
From Middle English wympel, wimpel, from Old English wimpel (“veil, an article of women's dress; a covering for the neck, a cloak, a hood”), from Proto-Germanic *wimpilaz (“wimple, scarf, veil”). Cognate with Scots wympill (“wimple”), Dutch wimpel (“streamer, pennant”), German Wimpel (“pennant”), Swedish vimpel (“pennant, banner”), Icelandic vimpill (“hood, cowl”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).