What does whipcord mean?
Whipcord is a cord made by twisting together several smaller strands and used traditionally in making a whip. As a count noun, it can refer to one complete length; as a mass noun, it refers to the material itself. The word is uncommon in modern everyday speech and sounds historical, literary, or specialist, so modern speakers are more likely to use the general terms cord or rope. In older writing, the word may appear in accounts of travel, transport, military life, and manual crafts because whips and tightly made cords were practical tools in those settings. Its appeal lies in being both literal and vivid: the name identifies both the material and its traditional purpose. Recognizing it is useful when reading period literature, historical descriptions of travel or punishment, or specialist accounts of ropework and whipmaking, where the term is more exact than a broad reference to rope or cord.
nounA cord made by twisting or braiding together smaller strands, traditionally used in making a whip. The term can also refer to the material of such a cord.
- A cord made by twisting or braiding smaller strands, traditionally used in making a whip.
"He tested the whipcord with a sharp pull before fitting the finished whip to the carriage."
"The artisan braided the whipcord by hand before attaching it to the whip handle."
"In the old account, the driver kept a spare length of whipcord beneath his seat."
The plural is used for individual cords or pieces; the noun can also remain uncountable when referring to the material generally.
"Several coils of whipcord were stored in the workshop."
Whipcord is wonderfully literal: it is the tightly twisted cord used in making a traditional whip.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whipcord
Whipcord is a transparent English compound of whip and cord. The word whip is Germanic, while cord comes through Old French corde from Latin chorda, ultimately from Greek khordē. In whipcord, cord refers literally to the twisted cord used in making a whip, and the compound preserves the material sense of its two elements.
How whipcord is actually used
The word is uncommon in modern everyday English and tends to sound historical, literary, or specialist, especially in discussions of whipmaking and traditional cordage. It can denote either a particular cord or the material generally.