whing

English

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

whing (plural whings)

  1. A high-pitched ringing sound.
    • 1855: Charles Kingsley, Westward Ho! The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh
      "Whing, whing," went the Spaniard's shot, like so many humming-tops, through the rigging far above their heads. . .

Verb

whing (third-person singular simple present whings, present participle whinging, simple past and past participle whinged)

  1. To move with great force or speed.

Etymology 2

See wing.

Noun

whing (plural whings)

  1. Obsolete spelling of wing
    • 1578: Henry Lyte (tr.), A Niewe herball or historie of plantes
      The fruite is long, flat, and thinne, almost lyke to a feather of a small birde, or lyke the whing of a grashopper.
    • 1791: letter from Colonel Darke to George Washington, quoted in Theodore Roosevelt, The Winning of the West, vol. 4 (1896)
      we incamped in two Lines about 60 yards apart the Right whing in frunt Commanded by General Butler, the Left in the Rear which I commanded
    • 1869: James Jennings, The Dialect of the West of England, particularly Somersetshire, with a glossary of words now in use there; also with poems and other pieces exemplifying the dialect
      When tha dumbledores hummin, craup out o’ tha cobwâll
      An’ shakin ther whings, thâ vleed vooäth an’ awâ.

References
  • OED 2nd edition 1989
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