periwinkle
- n chiefly trailing poisonous plants with blue flowers
- n commonly cultivated Old World woody herb having large pinkish to red flowers
- n small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked
- n edible marine gastropod
- He points, for example, to antitumor alkaloids found in the Madagascar periwinkle that are now used in the treatment of childhood leukemia and Hodgkin's disease.
- Two of Eli Lilly's more successful cancer drugs, Velban and Oncovin, were developed from Madagascar's rosy periwinkle plant, found through a shaman some 40 years ago.
- Malia wore a deep periwinkle blue coat to her dad's swearing-in, while Sasha went for an orange-and-pink combo.