Whinny
/ˈwɪn.i/noun
A neighing sound made by a horse.
Did you know?Unlike words such as “nightmare” or “disaster,” “whinny” isn’t a spooky compound at all — it’s an onomatopoeic word, meaning English likely shaped it to imitate the sound itself.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hwinnian
“to whine, whimper, or make a plaintive sound”
Middle English
ME
whinnen
“to neigh or whinny, especially of a horse”
16th Century
English
whinny
“a horse’s neighing sound or the act of neighing”
Modern English
English
whinny
“the high-pitched neighing sound made by a horse”