Etymology

whistler

W4H4I1S1T1L1E1R1

Today it means: Someone or something that whistles, or who plays a whistle as a musical instrument. Full definition →

Middle English whisteler ← Old English hwistlere
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whistler · noun1

  1. Old English · inherited fromhwistlere“a player on a flute; a piper”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromwhisteler
  3. English todaywhistler

From Middle English whisteler, whistlar, whystelare, from Old English hwistlere (“a player on a flute; a piper”), equivalent to whistle + -er.

Whistler · proper noun2

  1. Old English · inherited fromhwistlere“piper”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromWistler, Wyzelere
  3. English todayWhistler

Continuing the Middle English Wistler, Wyzelere, an occupational surname from the Old English hwistlere (“piper”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.