wrinkle
n. countablen. a small line or fold on your skin or on a piece of cloth. You usually get them on your face as you get older or on your clothes when they are not folded.
n. a small ridge or furrow on a surface, typically caused by the contraction or folding of a flexible material. Often refers to the natural lines that appear on human skin due to aging or sun exposure.
She noticed a small wrinkle near her eyes.
I need to iron this shirt because it has a deep wrinkle right across the front.
The new policy introduced an unexpected wrinkle into the negotiations, forcing both parties to reconsider their initial stance on the budget allocation.
From Middle English wrinkle, wrynkel (“crease, fold, wrinkle”), from the verb (see below). Cognate with Dutch wrinkel (“wrinkle, crease”). Compare also Middle English runkel (“wrinkle”), from Old Norse hrukka (“wrinkle”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunkǭ (“wrinkle, crease”), whence also French fronce (“crooked smile, scowl, frown”), German Runzel (“wrinkle”).
From Middle English wrynklen, wrinklen (“to wrinkle”), from Old English *wrinclian (attested in past participle ġewrinclod (“wrinkled, crooked, winding”)). Cognate with Middle Dutch wronckelen, wrinckelen (“to wind, wrap, meander”), modern dialectal Dutch wrinkelen (“to wrinkle”). Compare also Middle English runklen (“to wrinkle, become wrinkled”).
Commonly used metaphorically to describe a minor problem or a new development in a plan.