Where does “whistly” come from?

whistly (English) comes from English whistle, from Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlan, from Proto-West Germanic *hwistlōn, from Proto-Germanic hwistlōną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweys- — to hiss, whistle, whisper.

whistly (English): Making a whistling sound; silently

Definitions

  1. Making a whistling sound; silently

Ancestry of “whistly”, step by step

whistly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English whistle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhistleA device designed to be placed in the mouth and...
2Middle Englishwhistlen
3Old Englishhwistlan
4Proto-West Germanic*hwistlōn
5Proto-Germanichwistlōnąto whistle, hiss
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweys-to hiss, whistle, whisper

via English whist

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

Words derived from “whistly

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