whist

Etymology 1

Alteration of whisk, perhaps so called from the notion of “whisking” up cards after each trick. Altered perhaps on assumption that the word was an interjection invoking silence, by influence of whist (“silent”).

noun

1. Any of several four-player card games, similar to bridge.
2. A session of playing this card game.

Etymology 2

From Middle English whist (“silent”), possibly onomatopoeic.

intj

1. Alternative spelling of whisht. Silence!, quiet!, hush!, shhh!, shush!
   … for scarcely had they descended one hundred feet, when a low “whist” from the girl, warned them of present danger. 1860, anonymous author, Heroes and Hunters of the West, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008

verb

1. (transitive, rare) To hush or shush; to still.
2. (intransitive, rare) To become silent.

adj

1. (rare) Silent, hushed.