Whisper \Whis"per\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whispered; p. pr. &
vb. n. Whispering.]
[AS. hwisprian; akin to G. wispern,
wispeln, OHG. hwispal?n, Icel. hv[=i]skra, Sw. hviska, Dan.
hviske; of imitative origin. Cf. Whistle.]
1. To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard
only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant
breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which
gives sonorous, or vocal, sound. See Whisper, n.
2. To make a low, sibilant sound or noise.
The hollow, whispering breeze. --Thomson.
3. To speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse
in whispers, as in secret plotting.
All that hate me whisper together against me. --Ps.
xli. 7.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|
Whispering \Whis"per*ing\,
a. & n. from Whisper. v. t.
Whispering gallery, or Whispering dome, one of such a
form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are
concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part,
so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much
greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|