Where does “whiffer” come from?

whiffer (English) comes from English whiff, from Old English wef, from Middle English weven, from Old English wefan, from Proto-West Germanic weban, from Proto-Germanic webaną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

whiffer (English): An inhaler device for asthmatics

Definitions

  1. An inhaler device for asthmatics

Ancestry of “whiffer”, step by step

whiffer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English whiff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhiffA waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of...
2Old Englishwefweb
3Middle EnglishwevenTo weave; to perform or do some weaving; To...
4Old Englishwefanto weave
5Proto-West Germanicwebanto weave
6Proto-Germanicwebanąto weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

via English ER

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishERThe statistic "Earned Run"; Initialism of...
2Turkisherearly; brave; man, male
3Ottoman Turkishایرsaddle, a seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
4Old Anatolian Turkishایرearly, at a time in advance of the usual or expected event
5Proto-Turkicēdersaddle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ-
whiffer — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer