Etymology dictionary. 2014.
whiff´er — whiff «hwihf», noun, verb. –n. 1. a slight gust; puff; breath: »A whiff of fresh air cleared his head. Not a whiff of life left in either of the bodies (Thomas Hardy). 2. a blow. 3. a slight smell; puff of air having an odor: »a whiff of garlic.… … Useful english dictionary
whiff — [wıf] n [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: From the sound of a light movement of air carrying a smell] 1.) a very slight smell of something whiff of ▪ a whiff of tobacco get/catch a whiff of sth ▪ As she walked past, I caught a whiff of her perfume. 2.) a … Dictionary of contemporary English
Whiff — Whiff, n. [OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.] [1913 Webster] 1. A sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke. [1913 Webster] But … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whiff — Whiff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whiffed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whiffing}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff. [1913 Webster] 2. To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away. [1913 Webster]… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whiff — [ wıf, hwıf ] noun singular 1. ) a slight smell of something: Opening the door, she caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. 2. ) MAINLY LITERARY a slight amount or sign of something: a whiff of danger … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Whiff — Whiff, v. i. To emit whiffs, as of smoke; to puff. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whiff — [hwif, wif] n. [echoic] 1. a light puff or gust of air or wind; breath 2. a slight wave or gust of odor; faint momentary smell [a whiff of garlic] 3. an inhaling or exhaling, as of tobacco smoke ☆ 4. Informal a complete miss when attempting to… … English World dictionary
whiff — [n] smell of an odor aroma, blast, breath, dash, draught, flatus, fume, gust, hint, inhalation, odor, puff, scent, shade, smack, sniff, snuff, soupçon, trace, trifle, waft; concepts 599,601,602 … New thesaurus
whiff — ► NOUN 1) a smell that is smelt only briefly or faintly. 2) Brit. informal an unpleasant smell. 3) a trace or hint of something bad or exciting. 4) a puff or breath of air or smoke. ► VERB 1) get a brief or faint smell of. 2) … English terms dictionary
whiff — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ faint, slight ▪ strong ▪ unmistakable (often figurative) ▪ The unmistakable whiff of electoral blackmail could be detected. ▪ … Collocations dictionary
