Middle English Dictionary Entry
whissen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | whissen v. Also whisse; sg.3 (error) westheth. |
| Etymology | Prob. imitative. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Hawk. impv. whisse as interj.: come!, return!;—used to summon a falcon to the fist;
(b) to screech;—?error for skriken v.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1450 Poem Hawking (Yale 163)475 : Thei must be reclaymyd to the fyste Wyth thys worde ‘Whysse’ as long-draw as þu can dure.
b
- a1450(?1419-20) Topias (Dgb 41)78/162 : Þe egle in þe eyre þries…westheth.