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whist

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whist¹

  • /wɪst/
  • /ʍɪst/
  • [ˈw̥ɪst]

Sounds like wist (wine–whine merger) · Rhymes with -ɪst

Where it comes from

Alteration of whisk, perhaps so called from the notion of “whisking” up cards after each trick. Altered perhaps on assumption that the word was an interjection invoking silence, by influence of whist (“silent”).

noun whists

  1. countable, uncountable Any of several four-player card games, similar to bridge. "We have a loo in College every night-of course that is not every night, but most nights-not a big loo at all, you know, but just a small party of our own. I would almost rather we played whist myself, but the other fellows don't like whist, it's too awfully scientific; and at loo, you know, you can
  2. countable, uncountable A session of playing this card game.

whist²

  • /wɪst/
  • /ʍɪst/
  • [ˈw̥ɪst]

Sounds like wist (wine–whine merger) · Rhymes with -ɪst

Where it comes from

From Middle English whist (“silent”), possibly onomatopoeic.

interjection

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of whisht. Silence!, quiet!, hush!, shhh!, shush! … for scarcely had they descended one hundred feet, when a low “whist” from the girl, warned them of present danger.
  2. Onomatopoeia for slicing. Well! she laid down her little golden head without fear; and whist! down came the axe, and it was off. So the mother wiped the axe and laughed.

verb whists · whisting · whisted

  1. rare, transitive To hush or shush; to still. o was the Titaness put downe and whist
  2. intransitive, rare To become silent. The fields whist, beasts, and fowls of divers bue

adjective more whist · most whist

  1. rare Silent, hushed. Come unto these yellow sands, / And then take hands: / Courtsied when you have and kiss'd / The wild waves whist, / Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burthen bear.[…]

Translations

Every language

noun card game

Françaiswhist
DeutschWhist
Ελληνικάουίστ ouíst
Русскийвист vist

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MLA

"whist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

whist. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whist

Chicago

"whist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whist.

BibTeX
@misc{whist_2026,
  title = {whist},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whist},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}