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