hiss

Pronunciation: /hɪs/

The English word “hiss” has 9 meanings listed here.

noun

A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative.
An expression of disapproval made using such a sound.

verb

To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping.
To call someone by hissing.
To condemn or express contempt (for someone or something) by hissing.
To utter (something) with a hissing sound.
To move with a hissing sound.
To emit or eject (something) with a hissing sound.
To whisper, especially angrily or urgently.

Etymology

From Middle English hissen, probably of onomatopoeic origin (compare Arabic هَسْهَسَ (hashasa)). Compare Middle Dutch hissen, hisschen (“to chase away, shoo”), Middle Low German hissen (“to chase, hound, incite”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.