The noun is possibly:
* partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and
* partly onomatopoeic.
Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses.
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses.
The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).
Meanings
(informal) Having a strong or unpleasant odour.
Whoo boy that gear oil is pretty whiff. If you actually do this, spend the extra money for the synthetic gear oil as it will not have as bad a sulfur stink as the regular stuff. 2002 November 5, Jim Rozen, “Way oil”, in rec.crafts.metalworking (Usenet):
[F]rom under a pile of stones [they] drew forth the new-slain corpse of a cat. […] 'Well-nourished old lady, ain't she?' said Stalky. 'How long d'you suppose it'll take her to get a bit whiff in a confined space?' / 'Bit whiff! What a coarse brute you are!' said M'Turk. 'Can't a poor pussy-cat get under King's dormitory floor to die without your pursuin' her with your foul innuendoes?' 1899 January, Rudyard Kipling, “An Unsavoury Interlude”, in Stalky & Co., London: Macmillan & Co., published 1899, →OCLC, pages 77–78:
nl geurig (having a strong or unpleasant odour) · nl sterk van geur (having a strong or unpleasant odour) · bg миризлив (having a strong or unpleasant odour)
The noun is possibly:
* partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and
* partly onomatopoeic.
Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses.
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses.
The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).
Meanings
Used to indicate a sound like that of air passing through a small opening, that is, a short or soft whistle.
Sir Willoughby, […] made to this extraordinary remonstrance no other reply than a long whiff, and a "Well, Russelton, dash my wig (a favourite oath of Sir W.'s) but you're a queer fellow." 1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XXXII, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 293:
But yonder, whiff! there comes a sudden heat, / The gravest citizen seems to lose his head, […] 1850, Alfred Tennyson, “Conclusion”, in The Princess: A Medley, 3rd edition, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 174:
The noun is possibly:
* partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and
* partly onomatopoeic.
Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses.
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses.
The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).
Meanings
A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft.
Their Enſignes ſhine, and Dragons fell that therein pictur'd ſhow, / VVave to and fro vvith vvhiffes of vvind, as it doth gently blovv. 1610, William Camden, “Danmonii”, in Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press for] Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, →OCLC, page 195:
Now as the VVinde, buffing vpon a Hill / VVith roaring breath againſt a ready Mill, / VVhirls vvith a vvhiff the ſails of ſvvelling clout, / The ſails doo ſvving the vvinged ſhaft about. 1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His First Week, or Birth of the World: […].] The Fourth Daie of the First Week.”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Humfrey Lownes [and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson […]], published 1611, →OCLC, page 100:
Purrus at Pryam driues, but all in rage, / Strikes vvide, but vvith the vvhiffe and vvinde / Of his fell ſvvord, th'unnerued father falles. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
"Give her a whiff of fresh air with the bellows, Charley," said Mr. Dawkins; "and you slap her hands, Fagin, while Bill undoes the petticoats." 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Introduces Some Respectable Characters with Whom the Reader Is Already Acquainted, and Shows How Monks and the Jew Laid Their Worthy Heads Together”, in Oliver Twist; […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 29:
A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
The skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe, / And a scornful laugh laughed he. 1840 January 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “[Ballads.] w:The Wreck of the Hesperus.”, in Ballads and Other Poems, 2nd edition, Cambridge, Mass.: […] John Owen, published 1842, →OCLC, stanza 5, page 43:
"I call that a dirty-looking pipe," he added, blowing a contemptuous whiff in the direction of Limpet's pipe. 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 12:
Four pipes after dinner he conſtantly ſmokes; / And ſeaſons his whifs with impertinent jokes. a. 1718, Matthew Prior, “Epigram”, in The Poetical Works of Matthew Prior […], volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan, […], published 1779, →OCLC, page 216:
Mr. Willet looked first at her, then at his son, then back again at Dolly, and then made an ineffectual effort to extract a whiff from his pipe, which had gone out long ago. 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 78.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 396:
Gaffar Andrevvs teſtified no remarkable Emotion, he bleſſed and kiſſed her, but complained bitterly, that he vvanted his Pipe, not having had a VVhiff that Morning. 1742, Henry Fielding, “Being the Last. In which This True History is Brought to a Happy Conclusion.”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. […], volume II, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV, page 299:
I was yesterday in a coffee-house not far from the Royal Exchange, where I observed three persons in close conference over a pipe of tobacco; upon which, having filled one for my own use, I lighted it at the little wax candle that stood before them: and, after having thrown in two or three whiffs amongst them, sat down and made one of the company. 1714 July 26 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “THURSDAY, July 16, 1714”, in The Spectator, number 568; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 259:
Sog[liardo]. […] [D]oe you profeſſe theſe ſleights in Tabacco? / […] / Shift. Yes as ſoone ſir; he ſhall receiue the 1, 2, and 3 VVhiffe, if it pleaſe him, & (vpon the receit) take his horſe, drinke his three cups of Canarie, and expoſe one at Hounſlovv, a ſecond at Stanes, and a third at Bagſhot. 1599 (first performance), B. I. [i.e., Ben Jonson], The Comicall Satyre of Euery Man out of His Humor. […], London: […] [Adam Islip] for William Holme, […], published 1600, →OCLC, Act III, scene i, signature [I iiij], recto:
Silver took a whiff or two of his pipe with great composure, and then ran on again. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “In the Enemy’s Camp”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC, part VI (Captain Silver), page 228:
(archaic, broadly) A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe. ▸ A cigarette or small cigar.
An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air.
And then, ſo nice, and ſo genteel; / Such Cleanlineſs from Head to Heel: / No Humours groſs, or frowzy Steams, / No noiſom Whiffs, or ſweaty Streams, / Before, behind, above, below, / Could from her taintleſs Body flow. 1731, [Jonathan Swift], “Strephon and Chloe”, in A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed. […], Dublin; London: […] [William Bowyer] for J. Roberts […], published 1734, →OCLC, page 8:
When the major rose from his rocking-chair before the stove and so disturbed the hot air and balmy whiff of soup which fanned their brows, the odour of stale tobacco became so decidedly prevalent as to leave no doubt of its proceeding mainly from that gentleman's attire. 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, “Martin Disembarks from that Noble and Fast-sailing Line of Packet Ship, the Screw, at the Port of New York, in the United States of America. […]”, in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC, page 203:
[E]v'ry twentieth pace / Conducts the unguarded noſe to ſuch a whiff / Of ſtale debauch forth-iſſuing from the ſtyes / That law has licenſed, as makes temp'rance reel. 1785, William Cowper, “Book IV. The Winter Evening.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 161:
The fortune of ſuch men was a temptation too great to be reſiſted by one, to whom, a ſingle whiff of incenſe withheld gave much greater pain, than he received delight, in the clouds of it, which daily roſe about him from the prodigal ſuperſtition of innumerable admirers. 1774 April 19, Edmund Burke, Speech of Edmund Burke, Esq. on American Taxation, April 19, 1774, 2nd edition, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1775, →OCLC, page 85:
But the butterflies were dead. A whiff of rotten eggs had vanquished the pale clouded yellows which came pelting across the orchard and up Dods Hill and away on to the moor, now lost behind a furze bush, then off again helter-skelter in a broiling sun 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter II, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC, page 21:
A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke.
The Hispaniola rolled steadily, dipping her bowsprit now and then with a whiff of spray. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Voyage”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC, part II (The Sea Cook), page 83:
Shift. […] His cheef exerciſes are taking the VVhiffe, ſquiring a Cocatrice, and making priuie ſearches for Imparters. 1599 (first performance), B. I. [i.e., Ben Jonson], “The Names of the Actors”, in The Comicall Satyre of Euery Man out of His Humor. […], London: […] [Adam Islip] for William Holme, […], published 1600, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, signature [A iiij], recto:
A flag used as a signal.
When the Indiaman was within a mile, the stranger threw out neutral colours, and hoisted a whiff, half-mast down, as a signal that she was in distress. 1832, [Frederick Marryat], chapter XI, in Newton Forster; or, The Merchant Service. […], volume III, London: James Cochrane and Co., […], →OCLC, page 178:
Any of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae).
(figuratively) A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint.
But there seemed to be not a whiff of life left in either of the unfortunates. 1878 January–December, Thomas Hardy, “Sights and Sounds Draw the Wanderers Together”, in The Return of the Native […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], published 1878, →OCLC, book V (The Discovery), page 243:
I can tell you first-hand that we are dealing with a regime that is not being forthright and will seize upon the faintest whiff of trepidation. This is a test to see how far they can push us before we break. 2014 February 14, Kenneth Lin, “Chapter 18”, in House of Cards, season 2, episode 5, spoken by Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey):
This was a rare whiff of the big-time for a club whose staple diet became top-flight football for so long—the glamour was in short supply, however. Thousands of empty seats and the driving Yorkshire rain saw to that. 2012 September 23, Ben Smith, “Leeds United 2 – 1 Everton”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 24 May 2021:
[N]othing can be more unhappy, more diſhonourable, more unſafe for all, then vvhen a vviſe, grave, and honourable Parlament ſhall have labourd, debated, argu'd, conſulted, and, as he himſelfe ſpeaks, contributed for the public good all their Counſels in common, to be then fruſtrated, diſapoiunted, deny'd and repuls'd by the ſingle vvhiffe of a negative, from the mouth of one vvillfull man; […] 1649, J[ohn] Milton, “XXVII. Intitl’d to the Prince of Wales”, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 222:
This little whiff of temper seemed to cool Silver down. He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Silver’s Embassy”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC, part IV (The Stockade), page 163:
[A] vvhiff of military pride had puff'd out his ſhirt at the vvriſt; and upon that in a black leather thong clipp'd into a taſſel beyond the knot, hung the Corporal's ſtick— […] 1767, [Laurence Sterne], chapter IX, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume IX, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 12:
[I]t reflects to the diſrepute of our Miniſters […] that after all this light of the Goſpel vvhich is, and is to be, and all this continuall preaching, they ſhould be ſtill frequented vvith ſuch an unprincipl'd, unedify'd, and laick rabble, as that the vvhiffe of every nevv pamphlet ſhould ſtagger them out of thir catechiſm, and Chriſtian vvalking. 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, pages 23–24:
They had their little differences, too; / Their jealous whiffs, which never any change meant: […] 1817 (date written), [Lord Byron], “Stanza L”, in Beppo, a Venetian Story, London: John Murray, […], published 1818, →OCLC, page 26:
(figuratively) A slight attack or touch.
(figuratively) A characteristic quality of something; a flavour, a savour, a taste.
(figuratively) A sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle.
Nic. anſvver'd little to that, but immediately pull'd out a Boatſvvain's VVhistle; upon the firſt VVhiff, the Tradeſmen came jumping into the Room, […] 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “The Sequel of the History of the Meeting at the Salutation”, in Lewis Baboon Turned Honest, and John Bull Politician. Being the Fourth Part of Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 5:
(US, figuratively, slang) A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss.
(US, figuratively, slang) A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss. ▸ From the batter's perspective: a strike.
(archaic) An expulsion of explosive or shot.
Singular: in old Broglie's time, six years ago, this Whiff of Grapeshot was promised: but it could not be given then; could not have profited then. 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “The Whiff of Grapeshot”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume III (The Guillotine), London: James Fraser, […], →OCLC, book VII (Vendémiaire), pages 444–445:
An outrigged boat for one person propelled by oar.
(obsolete) A sip of an alcoholic beverage.
I will yet go drink one whiffe more and if in the meane time any thing befall you that may require my presence, I will be so near to you, that, at the first whistling in your fist, I shall be with you forthwith: […] 1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart, Peter Anthony Motteux], “How Gargantua was Borne in a Strange Manner”, in The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC; republished in volume I, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC, 1st book, page 24:
Fly about vvhither thou vvilt, […] thou ſhalt no vvhere finde reſt for the ſoles of thy feet, but in this Arke of Chriſts perfect righteouſneſſe: In vaine ſhalt thou ſeeke it […] in beds of luſt, cheſts of Mammon, vvhiffes and draughts of intoxication, ſongs of ribaldry, ſports of recreation; […] 1624 September 29 (Gregorian calendar), Jos[eph] Hall, The True Peace-Maker, Laid forth in a Sermon before His Maiesty at Theobalds. September 19. 1624, London: […] J. Haviland for Nath[aniel] Butter, →OCLC, page 13:
horned whiff (flounder of the family Paralichthyidae) · Veracruz whiff (flounder of the family Paralichthyidae) · sand whiff (flounder of the family Paralichthyidae) · anglefin whiff (flounder of the family Paralichthyidae)
lv vēsma (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · hu fuvallat (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · bg дъх (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · mi hīrea (odour carried briefly through the air) · nl zuchtje (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · de Hauch (odour carried briefly through the air) · hu szellő (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · nl adem (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · ru затя́жка (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · fi tuulahdus (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · nl vleug (odour carried briefly through the air) · lv vēsma (odour carried briefly through the air) · es soplo (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · fr souffle (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · mk здив (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · fi tuoksahdus (odour carried briefly through the air) · es hálito (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · fi henkäys (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · fr effluve (odour carried briefly through the air) · bg повей (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · es bocanada (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · hu szag (odour carried briefly through the air) · pl podmuch (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · nl teug (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · es bocanadas (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · hu illat (odour carried briefly through the air) · nl trek (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · ru запашок (odour carried briefly through the air) · fr bouffée (short inhalation or exhalation of breath) · bg полъх (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · mk по́вев (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · nl vleug (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · ru дунове́ние (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · nl vlaag (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · sh dašak (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · de Hauch (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · bg кълбо дим (small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.) · ar نَسَمَة (brief, gentle breeze; light gust of air — see also waft) · sh dašak (odour carried briefly through the air) · bg лъх (odour carried briefly through the air)
The noun is possibly:
* partly a variant of Middle English wef, weffe (“bad smell, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan); and
* partly onomatopoeic.
Noun sense 6 (“name of a number of flatfish”) is possibly derived from sense 1 (“brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air”), sense 4 (“small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.”), and other such senses.
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun. Verb sense 2.6 (“to catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat”) is possibly derived from sense 1.1 (“to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air”), sense 2.2 (“to be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air”), and other such senses.
The interjection is derived from noun sense 7.4 (“a sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle”).
Meanings
(transitive) To carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air; to blow, puff, or waft away.
The assemblage rose, whiffed ceremony to the winds, and rushed for the door like a mob; […] 1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “A Royal Banquet”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 206:
There are in all but three vvayes of going thither [to the moon]. […] [The] third, Old Empedocles vvay; vvho vvhen he leaped into Ætna, having a drie ſeare bodie, and light, the ſmoake took him and vvhift him up into the Moone, vvhere he lives yet vvaving up and dovvne like a feather, all foot and embers comming out of that cole-pit; our Poet met him, and talkt vvith him. 1620 January 17 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Newes from the New World Discover’d in the Moon. A Masque, […]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1640–1641, →OCLC, page 42:
Five weeks ago, when they kissed the hand of Majesty, the mode he took got nothing but censure; and then his 'sincere attachment,' how was it scornfully whiffed aside! 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “Mercury de Breze”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume I (The Bastille), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, book V (The Third Estate), pages 160–161:
[Alexander von] Humboldt reached the peak at eight o'clock suffering from cold; we arrived at six, perspiring from the climb to face the same bitter, westerly wind which searched our marrow as it tore over the world. It whiffed by us steam and sulphurous vapors from the caldron, the Echeyde (Hell) of the Guanches; the La Caldera Diabla (Devil's Caldron) of the Spanish peasantry, in which all food of hell is cooked. 1918 August, Charles Wellington Furlong, “Climbing the Shoulders of Atlas”, in Harper’s Magazine, volume CXXXVII, number DCCCXIX, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 433, column 1:
(transitive) To say (something) with an exhalation of breath.
[H]e ſat ſolitary and penſive vvith his pipe—looking at his lame leg—then vvhiffing out a ſentimental heigh ho! vvhich mixing vvith the ſmoak, incommoded no one mortal. 1765, [Laurence Sterne], chapter XXVI, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume VIII, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 119:
They crossed themselves, and whiffed out a protective prayer or two. 1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “The First Newspaper”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 343:
(transitive) To inhale or exhale (smoke from tobacco, etc.) from a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement; to smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff.
There was silence as they [the Shawnees] whiffed at the council pipes. Then a tall chief arose and glanced at the handful of whites and at his own three hundred along the walls of the council house. 1902, Eva Emery Dye, “Mulberry Hill”, in The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Company, →OCLC, book I (When Red Men Ruled), page 90:
VVhat pleaſure tak'ſt thou in that breath, vvhich dravvs & vvhiffs perpetuall fears? a. 1645 (date written), Fr[ancis] Quarles, “The Plague-affrighted Mans Danger. Meditat[ion] XVI.”, in Judgement and Mercie for Afflicted Souls: Or Meditations, Soliloquies, and Prayers, London: […] R. Daniel for V[rsula] Q[uarles], published 1646, →OCLC, page 92:
[…] Richard, knowing his retainer's zest for conspiracy too well to seek him anywhere but in the part most favoured with shelter and concealment, found him furtively whiffing tobacco. 1859, George Meredith, “Indicates the Approaches of Fever”, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, page 126:
(transitive) To breathe in or sniff (an odour); to smell.
Come, come, my deare, and let us both retire / And vvhiffe the dainties of the fragrant fields: […] 1635, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Canto VII. Cant[icles] VII. XI.”, in Emblemes, London: […] G[eorge] M[iller] and sold at at Iohn Marriots shope […], →OCLC, book IV, stanza 1, page 209:
The kalender, […] hath late deſcry'd / That evill affected planet Mars, ally'd / To temporizing Mercury, conjoyn'd / I'th'houſe of Death; […] That Houſe; vvhich like a Sun in this our Orbe, / VVhiffes up the Belgick fumes, and does abſorbe / From every Soile rich vapours, […] a. 1645 (date written), Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Eglogue X”, in The Shepheards Oracles: Delivered in Certain Eglogues, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for John Marriot and Richard Marriot, […], published 1645 (indicated as 1646), →OCLC, page 119:
He glanced once at the pines, going farther away, whiffed at the pleasant odor of the grape blooms, waved his hand to the roses, in farewell, perhaps, lifted his face to the blue heaven— […] then, wearing that same old look of his mother's, he turned, without a word, and re-entered the prison. 1891 October, Will Allen Dromgoole, “A Grain of Gold”, in B[enjamin] O[range] Flower, editor, The Arena, volume IV, number XXIII, Boston, Mass.: The Arena Publishing Co., →OCLC, pages 631–632:
(archaic, dated, slang, transitive) To shoot (someone) with a firearm; hence, to assassinate or kill (someone).
Arms are the one thing needful: with arms we are an unconquerable man-defying National Guard; without arms, a rabble to be whiffed with grapeshot. 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “Storm and Victory”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume I (The Bastille), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, book V (The Third Estate), page 187:
You shot Geiger to get it. Last night in the rain. It was dandy shooting weather. The trouble is he wasn't alone when you whiffed him. Either you didn't notice that, which seems unlikely, or you got the wind up and lammed. 1939, Raymond Chandler, chapter 14, in The Big Sleep, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, published August 1992, →ISBN, page 82:
It was pointed out that troops would not always remain in the open to be whiffed out of existence by shrapnel. Rather would they get under cover at what speed they might. So a shell to deal with entrenchments, buildings, and fortifications was indicated. 1916 January, Pousse Cailloux, “75’s”, in Blackwood’s Magazine, American edition, volume CXCIX, number MCCIII, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publication Co., Barr Ferree, prop[rietor] […], →OCLC, section I, page 59, column 1:
(US, slang, transitive) Of a pitcher: to strike out (a batter); to fan.
(obsolete, transitive) To consume (an alcoholic beverage).
And when Gargantua whiffed the great draught, they thought to have been drowned in his mouth, and the flood of wine had almost carried them away into the gulf of his stomack. 1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart, Peter Anthony Motteux], “How Gargantua Did Eate Up Six Pilgrims in a Sallet”, in The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC; republished in volume I, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC, 1st book, page 112:
Hee therefore that would ſtriue to faſhion his leggs to his ſilke ſtockins, and his proud gate to his broad garters, let him whiffe downe theſe obſeruations; […] 1609, Thomas Dekker, “The Guls Horne-booke: […]: How a Gallant should Behaue Himselfe in Powles Walkes”, in Alexander B[alloch] Grosart, editor, The Non-dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker. […] (The Huth Library), volume II, London; Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: […] [Hazell, Watson, & Viney] for private circulation only, published 1885, →OCLC, page 230:
(intransitive) To move in a way that causes a light gust of air, or a whistling sound.
(intransitive) To be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air; to waft.
[…] I have sought to stay myself, in falling, against what looked to be a solid trunk, and the whole thing has whiffed away at my touch like a sheet of paper. 1889, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Master’s Wanderings”, in The Master of Ballantrae. […], London; Paris: Cassell & Company, […], →OCLC, pages 78–79:
(intransitive) To smoke a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement.
Morrow Captaine Tucca, vvill you vvhiffe this morning? 1601 (first performance), Thomas Dekker, Satiro-mastix. Or The Untrussing of the Humorous Poet. […], London: […] [Edward Allde] for Edward White, […], published 1602, →OCLC, signature C4, verso:
The brawny threſher whirling faſt his flail, / Pauſes, and takes a pinch each ſheaf betwixt; / The Squire too whiffeth, o'er his mug of ale; / And eke the Parſon, o'er ſome crabbed text, / Sucketh his pipe, and ſeeth the doctrine leſs perplext. 1789 September 19, “Recovered Fragments of Spenser (Continued.)”, in I[ohann] W[ilhelm] von Archenholz, editor, The British Mercury, or Annals of History, Politics, Manners, Literature, Arts, etc. of the British Empire, volume X, number 38, Hamburg: […] B. C. Hoffman, →OCLC, stanza XXI, page 380:
(intransitive) To smell; to sniff.
(intransitive, slang) To give off or have an unpleasant smell; to stink.
The second trauma was sharing a boat with all the foreigners who were beginning to whiff somewhat and had things crawling out of their beards, having spent days on end reaching the ferry on their bikes. 2007, Chris Walker, with Neil Bramwell, “Tourist Stalker”, in Stalker!: Chris Walker: The Autobiography, London: HarperSport, HarperCollinsPublishers, →ISBN, page 31:
She [a dead cat]—is—there, gettin' ready to surprise 'em. Presently she'll begin to whisper to 'em in their dreams. Then she'll whiff. Golly, how she'll whiff! 1899 January, Rudyard Kipling, “An Unsavoury Interlude”, in Stalky & Co., London: Macmillan & Co., published 1899, →OCLC, page 79:
(US, intransitive, slang) Especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball; hence (baseball), of a batter: to strike out; to fan.
"Casey Bat". You can't help but swing this bat with all your might. There's a good chance that you may just whiff. 1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System:
(broadly, intransitive, slang) To fail spectacularly.
And she was particularly critical of Attorney-General Pam Bondi for her handling of the Epstein case, saying she "whiffed" on handling public expectations by suggesting the Justice Department had a client list waiting to be disclosed only for the administration to later say it did not exist. 2025 December 18, Thomas Morgan, “Why Trump's low-profile chief of staff Susie Wiles is making headlines”, in ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
Or consider an alternative [imaginary] exhibit, in some side gallery, that sadly reflects on an enormous lost opportunity. […] This is a dark, dead end in the Biden library: A once mighty nation is served its toughest challenge yet, and it whiffs. 2021 June 30, Farhad Manjoo, “Democrats have a year to save the planet”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2021:
(intransitive, slang) In fighting games, to execute a move that fails to hit the opponent.
(intransitive) To catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat.
nl snuiven (to breathe in or sniff (an odour) — see also smell) · bg лъхам (to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air — see also blow, puff, waft) · fi nuuhkaista (to breathe in or sniff (an odour) — see also smell) · nl geuren (to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air — see also blow, puff, waft) · ru принюхиваться (to breathe in or sniff (an odour) — see also smell) · ru дуть (to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air — see also blow, puff, waft) · nl ruiken (to breathe in or sniff (an odour) — see also smell) · fi lyödä ohi (especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball) · ru ве́ять (to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air — see also blow, puff, waft) · fi tuulahtaa (to carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air — see also blow, puff, waft)