whiz
Meanings
verb
- To make a whirring or hissing sound, similar to that of an object speeding through the air.
- To rush or move swiftly with such a sound.
- To throw or spin rapidly.
- To urinate.
noun
- A whirring or hissing sound (as above).
- Someone who is remarkably skilled at something.
- An act of urination.
- Amphetamine.
- Pickpocketing.
prep
- Pronunciation spelling of with.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Onomatopoeic. Compare huzz, hizz, hiss. In some noun senses perhaps derived from wizard. In the sense “remarkably skilled person”, it may also simply a misspelling of its shortened form wiz, or it may be a shortening of whiz kid, which may have a different origin, perhaps whiz(z) in the sense of “something very remarkable”, attested from 1908, or the interjection (as in whizz-bang or gee whiz). In fact, whiz(z) in the sense of “something very remarkable” may be derived from whizz-bang in the sense of “conspicuously talented”, and in military slang whizz-bang (or whizbang) can mean “an exceptionally skilful person” (attested in 1916 and later), which whiz in the same sense seems to be a shortening of (whence presumably also whiz kid).
Synonyms
Derived words
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