I. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwisprung, from hwisprian to whisper + -ung -ing
1.
a. : whispered speech
whispering caused by laryngitis
b. : gossip , rumor
foul whisperings are abroad — Shakespeare
2. : a sibilant sound : whisper
flitting shapes and tiny whisperings — Marjory S. Douglas
II. adjective
Etymology: from present participle of whisper (I)
1. : making a sibilant sound : susurrant
music in a quick and whispering rhythm — Archibald MacLeish
2.
a. : told in or confined to a whisper
a whispering tale
a whispering voice
b. : communicating in whispers
whispering lovers
c. : spreading confidential and especially derogatory reports
whispering tongues can poison truth — S.T.Coleridge
• whis·per·ing·ly adverb