- whir
- whir c.1400, Scottish, "fling, hurl," probably from O.N. hvirfla, frequentative of hverfa "to turn" (see WHARF (Cf. wharf)). Cf. Dan. hvirvle, Du. wervelen, Ger. wirbeln "to whirl."
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
whir
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Whir — Whir, n. A buzzing or whizzing sound produced by rapid or whirling motion; as, the whir of a partridge; the whir of a spinning wheel. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whir — Whir, v. t. [See {Whir} to whiz.] To hurry a long with a whizzing sound. [R.] [1913 Webster] This world to me is like a lasting storm, Whirring me from my friends. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whir — Whir, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Whirred}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whirring}.] [Perhaps of imitative origin; cf. D. hvirre to whirl, and E. hurr, hurry, whirl. ???.] To whirl round, or revolve, with a whizzing noise; to fly or more quickly with a buzzing or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whir — [ wɜr, hwɜr ] verb intransitive to make a fast repeated quiet sound: A flock of birds rose in front of him, their wings whirring. All around the room, computers whirred and buzzed. ╾ whir noun singular … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
whir|ry — «HWUR ee», transitive verb, intransitive verb, ried, ry|ing. Scottish. to hurry. ╂[probably < whir + y, as in hurry] … Useful english dictionary
whir — [wə: US wə:r] v [I] another spelling of ↑whirr … Dictionary of contemporary English
whir — or whirr [hwʉr, wʉr] vi., vt. whirred, whirring [ME (Northern) quirren, prob. < Scand, as in Dan hvirre, Norw kvirra, akin to ON hverfa, to turn: for IE base see WHARF] to fly, revolve, vibrate, or otherwise move quickly with a whizzing or… … English World dictionary
WHIR — Infobox Radio station name = WHIR city = Danville, Kentucky area = slogan = branding = Newstalk Sports 1230 frequency = 1230 kHz repeater = airdate = share = share as of = share source = format = News Talk Information power = 1,000 watts… … Wikipedia
whir — po·ro·kai·whir·ia; whir·ra; whir·ry; whir·tle; whir; … English syllables
whir — I. verb also whirr (whirred; whirring) Etymology: Middle English (Scots) quirren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish hvirre to whirl, whir Date: 15th century intransitive verb to fly, revolve, or move rapidly with a whir … New Collegiate Dictionary
