n.
Pronunciation: ' hwi-s( ə -)l ə r, ' wi-
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
: one that whistles: as a : any of various birds especially : any of numerous oscine birds (esp. genus Pachycephala ) found chiefly in Australia and South Pacific islands and having a whistling call b : a large marmot ( Marmota caligata ) of northwestern No. America having a shrill alarm call c : a broken-winded horse d : a very-low-frequency radio signal that is generated by lightning discharge, travels along the earth's magnetic-field lines, and produces a sound resembling a whistle of descending pitch in radio receivers