What does whishing mean?
Whishing is an uncommon English verb encountered most often in literature and in descriptions of sound. Its clearest sense is to make a soft, high, whispering noise, as wind may move through grass or leaves. In older usage, whishing can also mean whispering or speaking very quietly. The word is therefore associated less with a person's intention than with the quality of a sound: faint, continuous, and elusive. A participial use such as “the whishing wind” describes that sound directly, while a verb use places the action in a sentence. Although modern speakers may initially read it as a misspelling of wishing, whishing is a separate, historically attested word. It belongs to the same broad family as whisper and whist and is useful chiefly for its precise literary effect, evoking a sound that is softer than a whistle and more audible than silence.
verb (present participle)To make a soft whistling, hissing, or whispering sound. In older usage, it can also mean to whisper or speak very quietly.
- To make a soft whistling, hissing, or whispering sound.
- To whisper or speak very quietly.
"A cold wind went whishing through the bare reeds."
"The reeds were whishing softly in the wind."
"She leaned over and began whishing the news into her sister's ear."
A whisper with a whistle hiding in it: whishing evokes sounds that are softer than a whistle and more audible than silence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whishing
Whishing is the present participle of the rare English verb whish, whose older use was to whisper. The word belongs to a family of quiet-sound words that includes whisper and whist, historically connected with an Indo-European root associated with rest, silence, or the absence of noise. English also used whish imitatively for a soft whistling or hissing sound, producing the evocative sense found in literary descriptions of wind and moving vegetation.
Related word forms
How whishing is actually used
Whishing is rare and literary, surviving mainly in participial and descriptive contexts. Its older whispering sense and its more physical sense of making a faint sound are both attested.
Easily confused with whishing
Whishing is a rare verb for making a soft sound or for whispering, whereas wishing means to desire something or to hope for its occurrence.