I. ˈhwisk also ˈwi- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wisk, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse visk wisp; akin to Old English wiscian to plait, gran wisc awn, Old High German wisc wisp, Latin viscus entrails, virga branch, twig, rod, Sanskrit veṣka noose, vēṣa costume; basic meaning: to turn
1.
a. : a quick light brushing or whipping motion : flick , swish
as the tear dripped slowly down … caught it with a neat little whisk of her tongue — Katherine Mansfield
could … hear the whisk and slither of tails — James Schuyler
b. : a swift passage
the line's four-times-a-week whisk from London to home (two hours) — Horace Sutton
2. : something used as or resembling a whip or brush: as
a. : a hairlike insect appendage — used especially of the setae of the Plectoptera
b. : a small usually wire kitchen implement used for hand beating of food (as eggs, cream, or potatoes) — compare whip 4b
c.
(1) : a flexible bunch (as of twigs, feathers, or straw) attached to a handle for use as a brush — compare feather duster , fly whisk
(2) : whisk broom
d. : tuft , wisp
wind … skiffing the whisk of her frock — Bruce Marshall
e. : the tail of an angler's fly
3. : a wide ornamental collar of fine fabric and lace usually supported at the back and worn in the early 17th century
4. : a plant part (as a panicle of broomcorn) used in making brushes
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English (Scots) quhisken, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse viska to wipe, whish; akin to Old English wiscian to plait — more at whisk I
intransitive verb
1. : to move nimbly and quickly : frisk , pop
gray bodies whisk up and down the hickory trunks — Marjorie K. Rawlings
porters … bowed and whisked about him — Frederick Way
2. : to travel swiftly : zip
the Broadway Limited … whisked through like a comet — True
transitive verb
1.
a. : to impart brisk or rapid motion to : flick , whip
seeing him whisk his eloquent tail — E.S.McCartney
showed both sides, draped it over her left hand, whisked away the cloth — Martin Gardner
machine picks up threads … and whisks them into a detachable aluminum hopper for ready disposal — Steel
b. : to transport swiftly : hurry , speed
dreams of rocket ships that will whisk him across the Atlantic between breakfast and luncheon — Waldemar Kaempffert
too soon … their mother would whisk them off to bed — Flora Thompson
an endless belt whisks the shopper's groceries … out to pickup stations — J.N.Wallace
2. : to mix or fluff up by or as if by beating with a whisk
whisking a mixture in a yellow bowl — Kathryn Grondahl
wind … whisked and matted the flakes into huge grey discs — O.E.Rölvaag
3. : to brush or wipe off lightly
whisk crumbs from the table
can be whisked clean with a damp cloth — advt
III. interjection
— used to convey an impression of sudden swift motion
he's going to taste it, when whisk ! it's gone — Hugh Walpole
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from whisk (I)
dialect : whist