whinny
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L330438 on Wikidata ↗verb
- the characteristic sound of a horse; neigh
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈwɪni/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English whynyen, whinien, akin to Middle English whinen (“to whine”).
- A gentle neigh.
“And moving out they found the stately horse, / Who now no more a vassal to the thief, / But free to stretch his limbs in lawful fight, / Neigh'd with all gladness as they came, and stoop'd / With a low whinny toward the pair: […]”
“When my wife and I heard a plaintive whinny from our laundry room the other day, we knew that our old dryer had cycled its last load.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English whynyen, whinien, akin to Middle English whinen (“to whine”).
- To make a gentle neigh.
“Cattle lowed here and there, and horses whinnied to be fed.”
“A pony whinnied a short distance from the hut.”