whing

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English

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Etymology 1

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Onomatopoeic.

Noun

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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

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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

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See wing.

Noun

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whing (plural whings)

  1. Obsolete spelling of wing.
    • 1578, Henry Lyte, transl., 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.
    • 1634 (first performance), William D’avenant [i.e., William Davenant], The Wits: A Comedie; [], published 1636; republished in Two Excellent Plays: [], London: [] G. Bedel, and T[homas] Collins, [], 1665, →OCLC, Act I, page 1:
      Could a Taff'ta ſcarf, a long Eſtridge vvhing, / A ſtiffe Iron Doublet, and a Brazeel Pole / Tempt thee from Cambrick ſheets, fine active Thighs, / From Caudles vvhere the precious Amber ſvvims?
    • 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

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  • OED 2nd edition 1989