Main Entry:: ¹whis·tle
Pronunciation:: \ˈhwi-səl, ˈwi-\
Function:: noun
Usage:: often attributive
Etymology:: Middle English, from Old English hwistle; akin to Old Norse hvīsla to whisper
Date:: before 12th century

1 a: a small wind instrument in which sound is produced by the forcible passage of breath through a slit in a short tube <a police whistle> b: a device through which air or steam is forced into a cavity or against a thin edge to produce a loud sound <a factory whistle>2 a: a shrill clear sound produced by forcing breath out or air in through the puckered lips b: the sound produced by a whistle c: a signal given by or as if by whistling3: a sound that resembles a whistle; especially : a shrill clear note of or as if of a bird

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