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whine

(wīn, hwīn)

v. whined, whin·ing, whines

v.intr.

1. To produce a sustained, high-pitched, plaintive sound, as in pain, fear, or complaint.

2. To complain or protest in a childish or annoying fashion: fans who are always whining about the poor officiating.

3. To produce a sustained noise of high pitch: jet engines whining.

v.tr.

To utter with a whine.

1. The act of whining: the dog's whine for food.

2. A whining sound: the whine of the dentist's drill.

3. A complaint uttered in a sustained, high-pitched tone: decided to ignore the children's whines.

[Middle English whinen, from Old English hwīnan, to make a whizzing sound.]

whiner n.

whining·ly adv.

whiny, whiney adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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