To make light, clear, ringing sounds, like small bells or glasses clinking together; also informal slang for urinating.
From Middle English tinklen, probably imitative in origin (imitating the sound itself). The onomatopoeia likely developed from Germanic roots. The slang usage appeared in children's language in the 20th century.
Onomatopoetic words like 'tinkle' are fascinating because they try to capture sound in letters—but different languages onomatopoeia differently! A bell sound is 'tinkle' in English, 'ting ting' in Japanese, and 'ding ding' in Mandarin, showing how culture shapes how we hear sounds.
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