WHISKER


Meaning of WHISKER in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈhwis-kər, ˈwis- ]

noun

Etymology: singular of whiskers mustache, from whisk (II)

Date: circa 1600

1.

a. : a hair of the beard

b. plural

(1) archaic : mustache

(2) : the part of the beard growing on the sides of the face or on the chin

c. : hairbreadth

lost the race by a whisker

2. : one of the long projecting hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal (as a cat or bird)

3. : an outrigger extending on each side of the bowsprit to spread the jib and flying jib guys — usually used in plural

4.

a. : a shred or filament resembling a whisker

b. : a thin hairlike crystal (as of sapphire or copper) of exceptional mechanical strength used especially to reinforce composite structural material

• whis·kered -kərd adjective

• whis·kery -k(ə-)rē adjective

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.