I. ˈ(h)wist
dialect Britain
variant of whish III
II. ˈhwist also ˈwi- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from whist (I)
: quiet , silent
the winds are whist — J.R.Drake
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration (perhaps influenced by whist (I) — from the silence observed during play) of earlier whisk, probably from whisk (II) ; from whisking up the tricks
: a card game for four players in two partnerships that is played with a pack of 52 cards dealt one at a time of which the last card belongs to the dealer and is turned to determine trump for the hand and that scores one point for each trick in excess of six and sometimes additional points for the ace, king, queen, and jack of trumps — see long whist , short whist ; compare bridge IV