| | OK. I have to ask: What in the world does WHINGE mean???
I had thought for a long time that it was a typo or misspelling of the word Whine. I still think it is, in some places ... but I just saw it in a news article. WHAT DOES THIS WORD MEAN? How do you even say it? My brain interprets it as "hinge" with a "w" in front of it. I've also thought maybe it's supposed to be something closer to "wing" except, of course, with that "h" thrown in. When "ing" is added to it, my brain wants to make it "winging" (+h) ... PLEASE tell me what the heck this word is. Yeah, I know, look it up ... but it just finally GOT to me! (looking it up now)
whinge
INTRANSITIVE VERB:
Inflected forms: whinged, whing·ing, whing·es
Chiefly British To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.
ETYMOLOGY:
Dialectal alteration of Middle English whinsen, from Old English hwinsian.
OTHER FORMS:
whinger —NOUN
whinging·ly —ADVERB
whinge
Pronunciation: 'hwinj, 'winj
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): whinged; whing·ing or whinge·ing
Etymology: from (assumed) Middle English, from Old English hwinsian; akin to Old High German winsOn to moan
Date: 12th century
British : to complain fretfully : WHINE
Ah-ha!
And now reading the definition for WHINE in the M-W, I find that what I've been calling whining for all these years is really whinging (sometimes done in a whiney voice). Wow. I have learned a new word. Whew. (And you thought I was getting too old for that!) |
| | Posted 9/1/2002 10:20 PM - 1 view - 5 comments
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