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, 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

• OED 2nd edition 1989