■ noun
1》 a long projecting hair or bristle growing from the face or snout of an animal such as a cat.
↘( ~s ) the hair growing on a man's face, especially on his cheeks.
2》 ( a ~ ) informal a very small amount.
3》 a single crystal of a material in the form of a filament with no dislocations.
Phrases
have (or have grown ) ~s informal (especially of a story) be very old.
Derivatives
~ed adjective
~y adjective
Origin
ME (orig. denoting a bundle of feathers, twigs, etc., used for whisking): from whisk + -er 1 .