Where does “whistle” come from?

Whistle comes from Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlan, from Proto-Germanic hwistlōną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwey-.

whistle (English): A device designed to be placed in the mouth and...

Definitions

  1. A device designed to be placed in the mouth and...

Ancestry of “whistle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwhistlen
2Old Englishhwistlan
3Proto-West Germanic*hwistlōn
4Proto-Germanichwistlōnąto whistle, hiss
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweys-to hiss, whistle, whisper

Words derived from “whistle

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweys-Every word from Proto-Germanic hwistlōnąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic *hwistlōn