whisper

English

Etymology

From Old English hwisprian (“to whistle”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪspə(r)

Noun

Wikipedia whisper (plural whispers)

1. The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially, without vibration of the vocal cords.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:

     "Now, look here, Jim Hawkins," he said, in a steady whisper, that was no more than audible.

2. (usually in plural) A rumor.

   There are whispers of rebellion all around.

3. (figuratively) A faint trace or hint (of something).

   The soup had just a whisper of basil.

4. (Internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room.
   • 2004, Caroline A. Haythornthwaite, Michelle M. Kazmer, Learning, Culture and Community in Online Education (page 179)

     Anyone logged in to the chat room can click on an individual name, highlighting it, and send a message — a whisper — that will be seen only by the selected person.

Derived terms

• stage whisper
• whisper campaign

Translations

the act of speaking in a quiet voice

• Arabic: همس (ar) (hams) m
• Armenian: շշուկ (hy) (ššuk)
• Bulgarian: шепот (bg) (šépot) m
• Catalan: xiuxiueig (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 耳語 (cmn), 耳语 (cmn) (ěryǔ)

• Czech: šepot (cs) m
• Danish: hvisken (da) c
• Dutch: gefluister (nl) n
• Estonian: sosin
• Faroese: teskan (fo) f, tesk (fo) n
• Finnish: kuiskaus (fi)
• French: chuchotement (fr) m
• German: Geflüster (de) n, Flüstern (de) n, Wispern (de) n
• Greek: ψίθυρος (el) (psíthyros) m, μουρμούρισμα (el) (mourmoúrisma) n
• Hungarian: suttogás (hu)
• Italian: sussurro (it) m
• Japanese: 囁き (ja) (ささやき, sasayaki)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: چرپان, چرپه‌چرپ

• Latgalian: šveiksts
• Latvian: čuksts (lv)
• Lithuanian: šnabždesys (lt) m, šnibždesys (lt) m, šnibždėjimas (lt) m, kuždesys (lt) m
• Luxembourgish: Gepëspers (lb) n
• Malay: bisikan (ms)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hvisking (no) m and f

  Nynorsk: kviskring (nn) f

• Persian: درگوشی (fa) (dareguši)
• Polish: szept (pl) m
• Portuguese: murmúrio (pt) m, sussurro (pt) m
• Romanian: șoaptă (ro) f
• Russian: шёпот (ru) (šópot) m
• Scottish Gaelic: cagar (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: šapat (sh) m
• Spanish: susurro (es) m
• Swedish: viskning (sv) c
• Telugu: గుసగుస (gusagusa)
• Welsh: sibrwd (cy)

Verb

whisper (third-person singular simple present whispers, present participle whispering, simple past and past participle whispered)

1. To talk in a quiet voice.

Translations

to talk in a quiet voice

• Arabic: همس (ar) (hámasa)
• Armenian: շշնջալ (hy) (ššnǰal)
• Belarusian: шаптаць (be) (šaptácʹ)
• Bulgarian: шептя (bg) (šeptjá), шепна (bg) (šépna)
• Catalan: xiuxiuejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 耳語 (cmn), 耳语 (cmn) (ěryǔ), 喳喳 (cmn) (chācha), 嘀咕 (cmn) (dígu)

• Czech: šeptat (cs)
• Danish: hviske (da)
• Dutch: fluisteren (nl)
• Esperanto: flustri (eo)
• Estonian: sosistama (et)
• Faroese: teska (fo)
• Finnish: kuiskata (fi)
• French: chuchoter (fr), susurrer (fr), murmurer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: flüstern (de), wispern (de)
• Greek: ψιθυρίζω (el) (psithyrízo)
• Hungarian: suttog (hu)
• Icelandic: hvísla (is), hvískra (is), pískra (is), pukra (is)
• Interlingua: susurrar (ia)
• Italian: sussurrare (it)
• Japanese: 囁く (ja) (ささやく, sasayaku)
• Jèrriais: chuchoter
• Korean: 속삭이다 (ko) (sogsagida)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: چرپاندن

• Lithuanian: šnibždėti (lt), šnabždėti (lt)
• Luxembourgish: pësperen (lb)
• Macedonian: шепна (mk) (šépna)
• Middle English: rounen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hviske (no)

  Nynorsk: kviskre (nn)

• Persian: پچ‌پچ کردن (fa) (peč-peč kardan)
• Polish: szeptać (pl)
• Portuguese: murmurar (pt), sussurrar (pt), cochichar (pt)
• Romanian: șopti (ro), susura (ro)
• Romansch: scutinar (rm)
• Russian: шептать (ru) (šeptátʹ) impf., шепнуть (ru) (šepnútʹ) pf., прошептать (ru) (prošeptátʹ) pf., (informal, to each other) шушукаться (ru) (šušúkatʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: cagair (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шаптати (sh), шапутати (sh)

  Roman: šaptati (sh), šaputati (sh)

• Slovak: šeptať (sk), šepkať (sk)
• Slovene: šepetati (sl)
• Spanish: susurrar (es)
• Swedish: viska (sv)
• Telugu: గుసగుసలాడు (gusagusalaaDu)
• Ukrainian: шептати (uk) (šeptáty)
• Vietnamese: nói thầm (vi), thì thầm (vi)
• West Frisian: flústerje (fy)