hissing
[his-ing]
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Origin of hissing
hiss
[his]
- to make or emit a sharp sound like that of the letter s prolonged, as a snake does, or as steam does when forced under pressure through a small opening.
- to express disapproval or contempt by making this sound: The audience hissed when the actor forgot his lines.
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- to express disapproval of by hissing: The audience hissed the controversial play.
- to silence or drive away by hissing (usually followed by away, down, etc.): They hissed down the author when he tried to speak.
- to utter with a hiss.
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- a hissing sound, especially one made in disapproval.
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Origin of hiss
1350–1400; Middle English hissen; probably imitative; compare Old English hyscan to jeer at, rail (derivative of husc jeering; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German hosc)
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
spit, whisper, jeer, hoot, whistle, seethe, boo, wheeze, whirr, blow, revile, sibilate, disapprove, deride, decry, whiz, mock, rasp, damn, catcallExamples from the Web for hissing
Contemporary Examples
CLAIRE: (hissing) Have you ever considered, even for a second, that what I do matters too?
Frank Underwood Will Not Tolerate Insubordination in This Olive GardenKelly Williams Brown
February 24, 2014
They make all kinds of calls and noises as we pass: slurps, hissing, barking, and even machine-gun sounds.
Historical Examples
Mrs. Merton had undertaken the duties that appertain to the "hissing urn."
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
He paced the chamber like a beast in a cage, hissing out the words in his anger.
Casanova's HomecomingArthur Schnitzler
Her hissing and sucking might have been a living gasp for breath.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
Then he flew up from the book with a hissing sound, like a radiant streak.
The Chinese Fairy BookVarious
In a moment the door was closed behind him, air was hissing into the lock again.
Salvage in SpaceJohn Stewart Williamson
hiss
- a voiceless fricative sound like that of a prolonged s
- such a sound uttered as an exclamation of derision, contempt, etc, esp by an audience or crowd
- electronics receiver noise with a continuous spectrum, caused by thermal agitation, shot noise, etc
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- an exclamation of derision or disapproval
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- (intr) to produce or utter a hiss
- (tr) to express with a hiss, usually to indicate derision or anger
- (tr) to show derision or anger towards (a speaker, performer, etc) by hissing
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Word Origin
C14: of imitative origin
Hiss
- Alger. 1904–96, US government official: imprisoned (1950–54) for perjury in connection with alleged espionage activities
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for hissing
n.
late 14c., hissyng, of imitative origin (see hiss (v.)), but originally also "whistling." In both senses expressing opprobrium.
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hiss
v.
late 14c., of imitative origin. Johnson wrote, "it is remarkable, that this word cannot be pronounced without making the noise which it signifies." Related: Hissed; hissing.
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hiss
n.
1510s, from hiss (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper