whisper
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: human-sciences
mysticism
occult
philosophy
sciences
Etymology: From Middle English whisperen, from Old English hwisprian (“to mutter, murmur, whisper”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwisprōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwisprōną (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweys-, *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”).
Cognate with Dutch wisperen (“to whisper”), German wispern (“to mumble, whisper”). Related also to Danish hviske (“to whisper”), Icelandic hvískra (“to whisper”), Norwegian Bokmål hviske, kviskre (“to whisper”), Norwegian Nynorsk kviskre, kviskra (“to whisper”), Swedish viska (“to whisper”). More at English whistle.
Inflected forms:
form: whispers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: whispers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: whispering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: whispered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: whispered
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.
pos: noun
examples: I spoke in a near whisper.
"Now, look here, Jim Hawkins," he said, in a steady whisper, that was no more than audible.
You know love is everything you say / A whisper, a word / Promises you give
gloss: A rumor.
pos: noun
tags: plural-normally
examples: There are whispers of rebellion all around.
Time can never mend / The careless whispers of a good friend
gloss: A faint trace or hint (of something).
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
examples: The soup had just a whisper of basil.
gloss: A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
pos: noun
gloss: A private message to an individual in a chat room.
pos: noun
tags: Internet
examples: The invisibility of private interactions in the form of whispers resolved an ethical concern in the research but reduced our ability to gauge the volume of interaction […]
Anyone logged in to the chat room can click on an individual name, highlighting it, and send a message — a whisper — that will be seen only by the selected person.
gloss: A projection of intention and influence caused by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means.
pos: noun
examples: "Witches feel that anyone who is against them has to be destroyed. The method is to give the victim what we call a whispering. It is similar to the aborigine ceremony in Australia of singing someone to death. The witches gather in a circle and focus their hate on the persons they have in mind. These vibrations from their minds and voices carry whispers to the one who they are working against."
gloss: To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: I can hear them whisper as we pass by
It's a bad sign, bad sign
gloss: To say (something) softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter (something) without sonant breath, without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Whether he whispered sweet nothings to her in Stengelese is not known, but he did call her "the best catch I ever made in my career."
gloss: To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: They might buzz and whisper it one to another.
gloss: To make a low, sibilant sound.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: the hollow, whispering breeze
[…] hear thy laurel whisper sweet
About the ledges of the hill.
gloss: To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: All that hate me whisper together against me.
gloss: To address in a whisper, or low voice.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: and whisper one another in the ear
where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed
gloss: To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: He came to whisper Wolsey.
[A] simple youth whispered me that he was an Illuminé, and carried on an intercourse with the invisible world.
gloss: To send a private message to an individual in a chat room.
pos: verb
tags: Internet
gloss: To exercise skill in taming or training a creature.
pos: verb
gloss: To project intention and influence events by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means; to subject someone or something to this influence.
pos: verb
examples: "Witches feel that anyone who is against them has to be destroyed. The method is to give the victim what we call a whispering. [...] The most frightening this is to be whispered when you're driving a car - it's nerve-racking."
Derived words: a whisper down the lane
Chinese whispers
in a pig's whisper
kissper
pig's whisper
stage whisper
whisper campaign
whisperhood
whisper interpreting
whisper network
whisperous
whisper porn
whispersome
whisper test
whispery
whisper down the lane
whisperer
Translations: