Chapter 1886

1. To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.

They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley.

2. To address in a whisper, or low voice. [Archaic]

And whisper one another in the ear. Shak.

Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed. Keble.

3. To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. [Obs.] "He came to whisper Wolsey."

Shak.

Whisper <Xpage=1648>

Whis"per , n.

1. A low, soft, sibilant voice or utterance, which can be heard only by those near at hand; voice or utterance that employs only breath sound without tone, friction against the edges of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages taking the place of the vibration of the cords that produces tone; sometimes, in a limited sense, the sound produced by such friction as distinguished from breath sound made by friction against parts of the mouth. See Voice , n. , 2, and Guide to Pronunciation , &sect;&sect; 5, 153, 154.

The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone. Bacon.

Soft whispers through the assembly went. Dryden.

2. A cautious or timorous speech.

South.

3. Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.

4. A low, sibilant sound. "The whispers of the leaves."

Tennyson.

Whisperer <Xpage=1648>

Whis"per*er (?) , n.

1. One who whispers.

2. A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly; hence; a backbiter; one who slanders secretly.

Prov. xvi. 28.

Whispering <Xpage=1648>

Whis"per*ing , a. & n. from Whisper . v. t.

Whispering gallery , &or; Whispering dome , one of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.

Whisperingly <Xpage=1648>

Whis"per*ing*ly , adv. In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers.

Tennyson.

Whisperously <Xpage=1648>

Whis"per*ous*ly (?) , adv. Whisperingly. [R.]

Whist <Xpage=1648>

Whist (?) , interj. [Cf. G. st ! pst ! bst ! <?/<?/<?/. Cf. Hist .] Be silent; be still; hush; silence.

Whist <Xpage=1648>

Whist , n. [From Whist , interj .] A certain game at cards; -- so called because it requires silence and close attention. It is played by four persons (those who sit opposite each other being partners) with a complete pack of fifty-two cards. Each player has thirteen cards, and when these are played out, he hand is finished, and the cards are again shuffled and distributed.

&hand; Points are scored for the tricks taken in excess of six, and for the honors held. In long whist , now seldom played, ten points make the game; in short whist , now usually played in England, five points make the game. In American whist , so-called, honors are not counted, and seven points by tricks make the game.

Whist <Xpage=1648>

Whist , v. t. [From Whist , interj .] To hush or silence. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Whist <Xpage=1648>

Whist , v. i. To be or become silent or still; to be hushed or mute. [R.]

Surrey.

Whist <Xpage=1648>

Whist , a. [Properly p. p. of whist , v.] Not speaking; not making a noise; silent; mute; still; quiet. "So whist and dead a silence."

Sir J. Harrington.

The winds, with wonder whist , Smoothly the waters kissed. Milton.

&hand; This adjective generally follows its noun, or is used predicatively.

Whistle <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Whistled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling (?) .] [AS. hwistlian ; akin to Sw. hvissla , Dan. hvisle , Icel. hv\'c6sla to whisper, and E. whisper . <?/<?/<?/. See Whisper .]

1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.

The weary plowman leaves the task of day, And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. Gay.

2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument, somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp, shrill tone.

3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air .

The wild winds whistle , and the billows roar. Pope.

Whistle <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle , v. t.

1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air .

2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle.

He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled him up. Addison.

To whistle off . (a) To dismiss by a whistle; -- a term in hawking. "AS a long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the fist, mounts aloft." Burton . (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to dismiss.

I 'ld whistle her off , and let her down the wind To prey at fortune. Shak.

&hand; "A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned."

Nares.

Whistle <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle , n. [AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle. See Whistle , v. i. ]

1. A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle .

Might we but hear The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, . . . Or whistle from the lodge. Milton.

The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and by that means lost his whistle . Spectator.

They fear his whistle , and forsake the seas. Dryden.

2. The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like, passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of a metallic bell or cup.

3. An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity, or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips; as, a child's whistle ; a boatswain's whistle ; a steam whistle (see Steam whistle , under Steam ) .

The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew. Pope.

4. The mouth and throat; -- so called as being the organs of whistling. [Colloq.]

So was her jolly whistle well ywet. Chaucer.

Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles . Walton.

Whistle duck (Zo\'94l.) , the American golden-eye.

Whistlefish <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle*fish` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler , three-bearded rockling , sea loach , and sorghe .

Whistler <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tler (?) , n. [AS. hwistlere .]

1. One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound.

2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The ring ousel. (b) The widgeon. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The golden-eye. (d) The golden plover and the gray plover.

3. (Zo\'94l.) The hoary, or northern, marmot ( Arctomys pruinosus ).

4. (Zo\'94l.) The whistlefish.

Whistlewing <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle*wing` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The American golden-eye.

Whistlewood <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tle*wood` (?) , n. (Bot.) The moosewood, or striped maple. See Maple .

Whistling <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tling (?) , a. & n. from Whistle , v.

Whistling buoy . (Naut.) See under Buoy . -- Whistling coot (Zo\'94l.) , the American black scoter. -- Whistling Dick . (Zo\'94l.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush ( Colluricincla Selbii ). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whistling duck . (Zo\'94l.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck. -- Whistling eagle (Zo\'94l.) , a small Australian eagle ( Haliastur sphenurus ); -- called also whistling hawk , and little swamp eagle . -- Whistling plover . (Zo\'94l.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied, or gray, plover. -- Whistling snipe (Zo\'94l.) , the American woodcock. -- Whistling swan . (Zo\'94l.) (a) The European whooper swan; -- called also wild swan , and elk . (b) An American swan ( Olor columbianus ). See under Swan . -- Whistling teal (Zo\'94l.) , a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. -- Whistling thrush . (Zo\'94l.) (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus , native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle. (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]

Whistlingly <Xpage=1648>

Whis"tling*ly , adv. In a whistling manner; shrilly.

Whistly <Xpage=1648>

Whist"ly (?) , adv. In a whist manner; silently. [Obs.]

Whit <Xpage=1648>

Whit (?) , n. [OE. wight , wiht , AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See Wight , and cf. Aught , Naught .] The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; -- generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. "Samuel told him every whit ." 1 Sam. iii. 18 . "Every whit as great."

South.

So shall I no whit be behind in duty. Shak.

It does not me a whit displease. Cowley.

White <Xpage=1648>

White (?) , a. [ Compar. Whiter (?) ; superl. Whitest .] [OE. whit , AS. hw<?/t ; akin to OFries. and OS. hw\'c6t , D. wit , G. weiss , OHG. w\'c6z , hw\'c6z , Icel. hv\'c6tr , Sw. hvit , Dan. hvid , Goth. hweits , Lith. szveisti , to make bright, Russ. sviet' light, Skr. <?/v<?/ta white, <?/vit to be bright. <?/<?/<?/. Cf. Wheat , Whitsunday .]

1. Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; -- the opposite of black or dark ; as, white paper; a white skin . "Pearls white ."

Chaucer.

White as the whitest lily on a stream. Longfellow.

2. Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear .

Or whispering with white lips, "The foe! They come! they come!" Byron.

3. Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure.

White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear. Dryden.

No whiter page than Addison's remains. Pope.

4. Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary.

Your high engendered battles 'gainst a head So old and white as this. Shak.

5. Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable.

On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life. Sir W. Scott.

6. Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling.

Come forth, my white spouse. Chaucer.

I am his white boy, and will not be gullet. Ford.

&hand; White is used in many self-explaining compounds, as white -backed, white -bearded, white -footed.