different between whistle vs jeer

English

Etymology

From Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlan, hwistlian (“to whistle”), from Proto-Germanic *hwistl?n? (“to make a hissing sound”). Cognate with Icelandic hvísla (“to whisper”), Russian ???????? (svistet?, “to whistle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w?sl?/, /??sl?/
• Rhymes: -?s?l

Noun

whistle (countable and uncountable, plural whistles)

2. A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound.
3. An act of whistling.
5. A shrill, high-pitched sound made by whistling.
6. Any high-pitched sound similar to the sound made by whistling.

   the whistle of the wind in the trees

7. (Cockney rhyming slang) A suit (from whistle and flute).
8. (colloquial) The mouth and throat; so called as being the organs of whistling.

   • Let's […] drink the other cup to wet our whistles.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

whistle (third-person singular simple present whistles, present participle whistling, simple past and past participle whistled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound, restrictions to the flow of air are created using the teeth, tongue and lips.

   Never whistle at a funeral.

   She was whistling a happy tune.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To make a similar sound by forcing air through a musical instrument or a pipe etc.

   The stream train whistled as it passed by.

3. (intransitive) To move in such a way as to create a whistling sound.

   A bullet whistled past.

4. (transitive) To send, signal, or call by a whistle.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• whistle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Whistle in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• whilest

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d???/
• Rhymes: -??(r)

Etymology 1

Perhaps a corruption of cheer (“to salute with cheers”), taken in an ironical sense; or more probably from Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”), from gek (“a fool”) (see geck) + scheren (“to shear”) (see shear (verb)). Also compare German and Dutch gieren (“to laugh loudly”).

Noun

jeer (plural jeers)

1. A mocking remark or reflection.

   Synonyms: scoff, taunt, flout, jibe, mockery

   • 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Fable of Midas, in The Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol XII, Sir Walter Scott, ed., Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co., 1824, pages 302-5,

     Midas, exposed to all their jeers, Had lost his art, and kept his ears.

Translations

Verb

jeer (third-person singular simple present jeers, present participle jeering, simple past and past participle jeered)

1. (intransitive, jeer at) To utter sarcastic or mocking comments; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language.
2. (transitive, archaic) To mock; treat with mockery; to taunt.

   • And if we cannot jeer them, we jeer ourselves.

Synonyms

• (to utter sarcastic remarks): scoff, sneer
• (to treat with scoffs): deride, flout, gibe, mock, ridicule
• See Thesaurus:mock
• See Thesaurus:deride

Derived terms

• jeeringly

Translations

Etymology 2

Compare gear.

Noun

jeer (plural jeers)

1. (nautical) A gear; a tackle.
2. (nautical, in the plural) An assemblage or combination of tackles, for hoisting or lowering the yards of a ship.

Derived terms

• jeer capstan

Translations

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish dír (“due, fit, proper”).

Adverb

jeer

1. indeed, verily, truly, actually

Related terms

• jeeragh
• jeerid
• jeerys

Mutation

Semai

Alternative forms

• jer

Etymology

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *?ur ~ *?uur ~ *?u?r ~ *?ir ~ *?i?r (“to descend”). Cognate with Central Mnong j??r, Khmu cù?r, Pear cer, Proto-Palaungic *?uur.

Verb

jeer

1. to fall

Synonyms

• tegòh
• yòòk

Derived terms

References

Somali

Pronunciation

Noun

jeer ?

1. hippopotamus