— whiskery , adj.
/hwis"keuhr, wis"-/ , n.
1. whiskers , a beard.
2. Usually, whiskers . See side whiskers .
3. a single hair of the beard.
4. Archaic. a mustache.
5. one of the long, stiff, bristly hairs growing about the mouth of certain animals, as the cat or rat; vibrissa.
6. Also called whisker boom, whisker pole . Naut. any spar for extending the clew or clews of a sail so that it can catch more wind.
7. Radio , Electronics. See cat whisker .
8. Crystall. a thin filament of a crystal, usually several millimeters long and one to two microns in diameter, having unusually great strength.
9. by a whisker , by the narrowest margin: She won the race by a whisker.
[ 1375-1425; late ME; see WHISK, -ER 1 ]