Whist
/wɪst/noun
A trick-taking card game for four players, or an archaic interjection meaning “be quiet.”
Did you know?The card-game sense appears to have grown from the older interjection whist, meaning “silence,” though the word’s deeper Germanic origin remains uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English, 14th–15th Century
English
whist
“An interjection calling for silence or quiet”
16th Century
English
whist
“A command meaning “be still” or “keep quiet””
Late 17th Century
English
whist
“The name of a developing trick-taking card game”
18th Century
English
whist
“A popular four-player card game using a standard pack”
19th Century
English
whist
“A highly codified and strategically influential card game”
Modern English
English
whist
“A traditional trick-taking card game; the silence-related interjection is archaic”