Whimper
/ˈwɪm.pər/noun
To make a low, weak, plaintive crying sound.
Did you know?Whimper is a native English expressive word, and its earliest forms were used for weak, trembling sounds rather than a simple dictionary “cry,” showing how English often turned raw emotion into sound itself.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hwimprian
“to whimper, to make a weak or plaintive sound”
Middle English
ME
whimperen
“to cry softly or plaintively”
16th Century
English
whimper
“a weak, whining cry or sound”
Modern English
English
whimper
“to cry or make a low, feeble, plaintive sound”