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.

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.'

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