Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WHIRL'I-GIG, n. [whirl and gig.]

1. A toy which children spin or whirl round. – Johnson.
2. In military antiquities, an instrument for punishing petty offenders, as sutlers, brawling women, &c.; a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which the offender was whirled round with great velocity. – Cyc.

WHIRL'ING, ppr.

Turning or moving round with velocity.

WHIRL'ING-TA-BLE, n.

A machine contrived to exhibit, and demonstrate the principal laws of gravitation, and of the planetary motions in curvilinear orbits. – Cyc.

WHIRL'-PIT, n.

A whirlpool. [Not used.]

WHIRL'POOL, n. [whirl and pool.]

An eddy of water; a vortex or gulf where the water moves round in a circle. In some cases, a whirlpool draws things to its center and absorbs them, as is the case with the Maelstrom off the coast of Norway.

WHIRL'WIND, n. [whirl and wind.]

A violent wind moving in a circle, or rather in a spiral form, as if moving round an axis; this axis or the perpendicular column moving horizontally, raising and whirling dust, leaves and the like.

WHIR-RAW', exclam. [See HOORA.]

WHIR'RING, n.

The sound of partridge's or pheasant's wings. Note. Whir is used by the common people in New England in an adverbial manner, to express the rapid flight or the sound of any thing thrown. [See Whir.]

WHISK, n. [G. and D. wisch. a wisp.]

1. A small bunch of grass, straw, hair or the like, used for a brush; hence, a brush or small besom.
2. Part of a woman's dress; a kind of tippet. – Child.

WHISK, v.

To move nimbly and with velocity. – Purchas.

WHISK, v.t.

1. To sweep, brush or wipe with a whisk.
2. To sweep along; to move nimbly over the ground. – Hudibras.

WHISK'ER, n. [from whisk.]

Long hair growing on the human cheek. – Pope.

WHISK'ER-ED, a.

Formed into whiskers; furnished with whiskers.

WHISK'ET, n.

A basket. [Local.]

WHISK'ING, ppr.

Brushing; sweeping along; moving with velocity along the surface.

WHISK'Y, n. [Ir. uisge, water, whence usquebaugh; W. wysg, a stream.]

A spirit distilled from grain. In the north of England, the name is given to the spirit drawn from barley. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from wheat, rye or maiz.

WHIS'PER, n.

1. A low soft sibilant voice; or words uttered with such a voice. The whisper can not give a tone. – Bacon. Soft whispers through th' assembly went. – Dryden.
2. A cautious or timorous speech.
3. A hissing or buzzing sound.

WHIS'PER, v.i. [Sax. hwisprian; Dan. hvisker; Sw. hviska, to buzz, to whisper; G. flispern; allied to whistle, wheeze, and L. fistula. The word seems by its sound to be an onomatopy, as it expresses a sibilant sound or breathing.]

1. To speak with a low hissing or sibilant voice. It is ill manners to whisper in company. The hollow whisp'ring breeze. – Thomson.
2. To speak with suspicion or timorous caution.
3. To plot secretly; to devise mischief. All that hate me whisper together against me. Ps. xli.

WHISPER, v.t.

1. To address in a low voice. He whispers the man in the ear. [But this is elliptical for whispers to.]
2. To utter in a low sibilant voice. He whispered a word in my ear.
3. To prompt secretly; as, he came to whisper Wolsey. – Shak.

WHIS'PER-ED, pp.

Uttered in a low voice; uttered with suspicion or caution.

WHIS'PER-ER, n.

1. One who whispers.
2. A teller; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly. – Bacon.
3. A backbiter; one who slanders secretly. Prov. xvi.

WHIS'PER-ING, n.

The act of speaking with a low voice; the telling of tales, and exciting of suspicions; a backbiting.

WHIS'PER-ING, ppr.

Speaking in a low voice; telling secretly; backbiting.

WHIS'PER-ING-LY, adv.

In a low voice.

WHIST, a. [Corn. huist, silence.]

Silent; mute; still; not speaking; not making a noise. The winds with wonder whist, / Smoothly the waters kiss'd. – Milton. [This adjective, like some others, always follows its noun. We never say, whist wind; but the wind is whist.] Whist is used for be silent. Whist, whist, that is, be silent or still.