whimper

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to cry or make a weak, soft, intermittent sound from fear, pain, or distress

   The frightened puppy began to whimper behind the door.

2. 2
   verb

   to complain or speak in a weak, timid, or tearful way

   Do not whimper about the task before you have tried it.

3. 3
   noun

   a weak, soft cry or complaint

   A faint whimper came from the injured animal.

Simplified etymology

Whimper, recorded from the early 16th century, is an imitative word suggested by the sound it represents.

From dialectal English whimp 'to whine' + the frequentative suffix -er. The word is probably imitative of a weak, broken cry and can be compared with German wimmern 'to whimper or moan.'

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary