Whir, hwėr, n. a sound from rapid whirling.—v.i. to whirl round with a noise.—v.t. (Shak.) to hurry away with a whizzing sound:—pr.p. whir′ring; pa.t. and pa.p. whirred.—n. Whir′ring. [Dan. hvirre, to whirl; ult. imit.]
Whirl, hwėrl, n. a turning with rapidity: anything that turns with velocity.—v.i. to revolve rapidly.—v.t. to turn round rapidly: to carry away rapidly, as on wheels.—ns. Whirl′-about′, anything that turns round rapidly; Whirl′-bat (obs.), the ancient cestus; Whirl′-blast, a whirling blast of wind; Whirl′-bone, the knee-cap; Whirl′er; Whirl′igig, a child's toy which is spun or whirled rapidly round: a merry-go-round: anything that revolves rapidly: the water-beetle (Gyrinus): an ancient instrument of punishment, consisting of a pivoted wooden cage in which the prisoner was spun round; Whirl′ing; Whirl′ing-der′vish, one of an order of Mohammedan devotees who dance or spin round—the Mevlevis or dancing dervishes, founded in 1273; Whirl′ing-tā′ble, -machine′, a machine exhibiting the effects of centripetal and centrifugal forces: an instrument used by potters; Whirl′pool, a circular current in a river or sea, produced by opposing tides, winds, or currents: an eddy; Whirl′wind, a violent aerial current, with a whirling, rotary, or spiral motion and wild circling rush. [Skeat explains M. E. whirlen as a contraction for an assumed whirf-le, a freq. of Ice. hvirfla, to whirl, freq. of hverfa (pa.t. hvarf), to turn round; Ger. wirbeln, to whirl.]
Whirret, hwir′et, n. (obs.) a blow.—v.t. to give a box on the ear to: to vex.—Also Whirr′ick.
Whirry, hwėr′i, v.i. (Scot.) to fly rapidly.
Whish, hwish, v.i. to move with the whizzing sound of rapid motion. [Imit.]
Whish, hwish, interj. hush!—also Whisht.—adj. (obs.) silent.
Whisk, hwisk, v.t. to move with a quick motion: to sweep or stir rapidly.—v.i. to move nimbly and rapidly.—n. a rapid sweeping motion: a small bunch of anything used for a brush: a small instrument for beating or whisking, esp. eggs.—ns. Whis′ker, he who, or that which, whisks: the hair on the sides of a man's face (esp. in pl.): the bristle on the face of a cat, &c.; Whiskeran′do, a whiskered person, in allusion to Don Ferolo Whiskerandos in Sheridan's Critic.—adjs. Whiskeran′doed, Whis′kered, Whis′kery, having whiskers; Whis′king, moving briskly; Whis′ky-fris′ky, flighty. [Scand., Ice. visk, a wisp of hay; Sw. viska, to wipe, Ger. wischen; prob. conn. with wash.]
Whisk, hwisk, n. whist. [So called from the rapid action of sweeping the cards off the table after a trick has been won.]
Whisket, hwis′ket, n. (prov.) a basket.
Whisky, Whiskey, hwis′ki, n. a spirit made by the distillation of the fermented extract from malted and unmalted cereals, potatoes, or any starch-yielding material—the best qualities made either from malted barley alone, or from a mixed grist of barley-malt and dried barley and oats.—adjs. Whis′kified, Whis′keyfied, intoxicated.—n. Whis′ky-liv′er, cirrhosis of the liver, from too much whisky.—Whisky insurrection, an outbreak against the excise regulations which occurred in Western Pennsylvania in 1794; Whisky toddy, toddy having whisky for its chief ingredient. [Gael. uisge beatha—uisge, water, beatha, life; cf. L. vita, Gr. bios, life.]