Where does “whistful” come from?

whistful (English) comes from English whist, from Middle English whist — silent.

whistful (English): Alternative form of wistful

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of wistful

Ancestry of “whistful”, step by step

whistful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English whist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhistAny of several four-player card games, similar to...
2Middle Englishwhistsilent

via English ful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishful—

Words derived from “whistful”

Every word from Middle English whist →Every word from English whist →