“twinkle” – English explanatory dictionary

noun a little glitter ○ There was a twinkle in his eyes as he gave her the present. Synonym sparkle ■ verb (of stars or eyes) to shine with a little moving light ○ His eyes twinkled as he showed the children the sweets he had bought. ○ We could see the lights of the harbour twinkling in the distance.

v. i. [imp. & p. p. Twinkled p. pr. & vb. n. Twinkling ] [OE. twinklen, AS. twinclian; akin to OE. twinken to blink, wink, G. zwinken, zwinkern, and perhaps to E. twitch.]
1. To open and shut the eye rapidly; to blink; to wink. “The owl fell a moping and twinkling.” L’ Estrange.
2. To shine with an intermitted or a broken, quavering light; to flash at intervals; to sparkle; to scintillate. “These stars not twinkle when viewed through telescopes that have large apertures.” Sir I. Newton. “The western sky twinkled with stars.” Sir W. Scott.

n. 1. A closing or opening, or a quick motion, of the eye; a wink or sparkle of the eye. “Suddenly, with twinkle of her eye,
The damsel broke his misintended dart.” Spenser.
2. A brief flash or gleam, esp. when rapidly repeated.
3. The time of a wink; a twinkling. Dryden.