different between wheedle vs whee

English

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Perhaps continuing Middle English wedlen (“to beg, ask for alms”), from Old English w?dlian (“to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg”), from Proto-Germanic *w?þl?n? (“to be in need”).

More likely, borrowed from German wedeln (“to wag one's tail”), from Middle High German wedelen, a byform of Middle High German wadelen (“to wander, waver, wave, whip, stroke, flutter”), from Old High German w?dal?n (“to wander, roam, rove”). In this case, it may be a doublet of waddle, or an independently formed etymological equivalent.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /??i?.d?l/ (without the wine-whine merger)
• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?wi?.d?l/ (with the wine-whine merger)

Verb

wheedle (third-person singular simple present wheedles, present participle wheedling, simple past and past participle wheedled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.

2. (transitive) To obtain by flattery, guile, or trickery.

Derived terms

• wheedler
• wheedling
• wheedlesome

Translations

Noun

wheedle (plural wheedles)

1. (archaic) A coaxing person.

Anagrams

• wheeled

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wi?/
• (without the wine–whine merger) IPA^(key): /?i?/
• Rhymes: -i?
• Homophones: oui, we, wee, Wii (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Interjection

whee

1. (childish) An expression of pleasure or enjoyment, mostly from rapid physical motion.
   • 2001, Ricardo L Garcia, Coal camp days: a boy's remembrance

     She twisted the rubber band extra tight. Sure enough, the tractor spun off much faster. Whee! She really liked to see it go fast on the living room floor.

   • 2009, Phil and Kaja Foglio, Girl Genius, Volume 9, p. 81:

     It'll be a secret! Whee!

Synonyms

• (childish expression of enjoyment): whoopee, yay, yeah, yippee

Translations

Verb

whee (third-person singular simple present whees, present participle wheeing, simple past and past participle wheed)

1. (intransitive) To make a high-pitched sound.
2. (intransitive, informal) To cry whee.
3. (transitive, US, colloquial, dated, often with up) To excite, to arouse, to energize.

Anagrams

• hewe