Where does “whisper” come from?
Whisper comes from Middle English whisperen, from Old English hwisprian, from Proto-Germanic hwisprōną, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ḱwey-.
whisper (English): The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially,...
Definitions
- The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially,...
Ancestry of “whisper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | whisperen | — |
| 2 | Old English | hwisprian | to whisper |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwisprōną | to whistle, hiss, whisper |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweys- | to hiss, whistle, whisper |
Words derived from “whisper”