dimple

English

Etymology

From Middle English dympull, likely from Proto-Germanic *dumpila- (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpa- (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole or pool”) +‎ -le (diminutive suffix).

Akin to Old High German tumphilo (“pool”) (whence German Tümpel) and Old English dyppan (“to dip”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɪmpəl/
- Audio (UK) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪmpəl

Noun

dimple (plural dimples)

A small depression or indentation in a surface.
The accident created a dimple in the hood of the car.
- 1815, William Wordsworth, The White Doe of Rylstone; or, The Fate of the Nortons
  The garden pool's dark surface […] breaks into dimples small and bright.
Specifically, a small natural depression on the skin, especially on the face near the corners of the mouth.
You have very cute dimples.

Synonyms

(depression in a surface): dent

Translations

small depression or indentation in generic surface

Arabic: نُقْرَة‎ f (nuqra)
Egyptian Arabic: غمازة‎ f (ġamāza)
Bulgarian: падина (bg) f (padina)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 凹 (zh) (āo)
Dutch: bult (nl), gaatje (nl) n
Finnish: kolo (fi), lommo (fi), kolhu (fi)
French: alvéole (fr) m or f
German: Delle (de) f, Beule (de) f
Irish: loigín m
Italian: bozza (it) f
Japanese: 凹み (ja) (くぼみ, kubomi), へこみ (ja) (hekomi)
Ottoman Turkish: غمزة‎ (gamze)
Portuguese: covinha (pt) f
Romanian: adâncitură (ro) f, cufundătură (ro) f, scobitură (ro) f, scufundătură (ro) f
Russian: я́мка (ru) f (jámka), вы́боина (ru) f (výboina)
Spanish: hoyuelo (es) m
Swedish: bula (sv), buckla (sv) c, inbuktning (sv) c
Welsh: pannwl m, crych (cy) m, pant m

skin depression, especially at corners of the mouth

Arabic: غَمّازة‎ f (ḡammāza)
Aromanian: grupicã f
Bulgarian: трапчинка (bg) f (trapčinka)
Catalan: clotet (ca) m
Chinese:
Hakka: 酒窟仔 (jiuˋ fudˋ eˇ)
Mandarin: 酒窩／酒窝 (zh) (jiǔwō), 靨／靥 (zh) (yè), 酒渦／酒涡 (zh) (jiǔwō)
Min Nan: 酒窟仔 (zh-min-nan) (chiú-khut-á)
Czech: důlek m, dolík m
Dutch: kuiltje (nl) n
Finnish: hymykuoppa (fi)
French: fossette (fr) f
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: Grübchen (de) n
Greek: λακκάκι (el) n (lakkáki)
Hebrew: גומת חן \\ גֻּמַּת חֵן‎ f (gumát khén), גומה \\ גֻּמָּה‎ (he) f (gumá)
Hindi: हिलकोरा (hi) (hilkorā)
Hungarian: gödröcske (hu)
Icelandic: spékoppur n
Irish: loigín m
Italian: fossetta (it) f
Japanese: 靨 (ja) (えくぼ, ekubo), えくぼ (ja) (ekubo), ディンプル (dinpuru)
Korean: 보조개 (ko) (bojogae), 볼우물 (ko) (borumul)
Latin: gelasīnus m
Luxembourgish: Kailchen f
Maori: ngongo
Navajo: aniishtłʼah
Polish: dołeczek m
Portuguese: covinha (pt) f
Romanian: gropiță (ro) f
Russian: я́мочка (ru) f (jámočka)
Slovak: jamka f
Spanish: hoyuelo (es) m, camanance m
Swedish: smilgrop (sv) c, skrattgrop c
Tagalog: biloy
Thai: ลักยิ้ม (th) (lák-yím)
Turkish: gamze (tr)
Vietnamese: lúm đồng tiền
Welsh: bochdwll m
Yiddish: חן־גריבל‎ n (kheyn-gribl)

Verb

dimple (third-person singular simple present dimples, present participle dimpling, simple past and past participle dimpled)

(transitive) To create a dimple in.
The hailstorm dimpled the roof of our car.
(intransitive) To create a dimple in one's face by smiling.
The young girl dimpled in glee as she was handed a cupcake.
To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.
- 1668, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, M. DC. LXVI. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], OCLC 1064438096, (please specify the stanza number):
  And smiling eddies dimpled o'er the main.

Synonyms

(create a dimple in): dent, mar

Translations

create a dimple in

Chinese:
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 起漣漪／起涟漪 (qǐ liányí)
Dutch: blutsen (nl), indeuken (nl), deuken (nl)
Finnish: kolhaista, kolhia (fi), tehdä lommo
German: eindellen (de), einbeulen (de)
Greek: πτυχώσει (ptychósei)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} formare bozze su
Portuguese: ondear
Romanian: cresta (ro)
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} formar hoyuelos
Westrobothnian: bøgel

create dimples in face by smiling

Chinese:
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 使現酒窩／使现酒窝 (shǐxiàn jiǔwō)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} formare fossette su

Anagrams

impled, limped