Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • whistling
  • whistleblowing
  • pennywhistle
  • whistlestop
  • wistly
  • whistly
  • whistlingly
  • whistlelike
  • wishly
  • whistleable
  • whistlewing
  • whistlewood
  • whistleberries
  • whistleblower
  • postwhistle
  • whistlefish
  • unwhistleable
  • whistle-blower
  • whistle blower
  • whistleblower
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweys- →