whim-wham

[ hwim-hwam, wim-wam ]

/ ˈʰwɪmˌʰwæm, ˈwɪmˌwæm /

noun

any odd or fanciful object or thing; a gimcrack.

whim-whams, Informal. nervousness; jitters: He had the whim-whams after the accident.

Nearby words

whilk, whillikers, whilom, whilst, whim, whim-wham, whimbrel, whimper, whimsey, whimsical, whimsicality

Origin of whim-wham

1490–1500; gradational compound; cf. flimflam, jimjams, etc.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for whimwham

whim-wham

noun

archaic something fanciful; a trifle

Word Origin for whim-wham

C16: of unknown origin; compare flimflam

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 whimwham

whimwham

"whimsical device, trifle," 1520s, of unknown origin; perhaps from Scandinavian (cf. Old Norse hvima "to let the eyes wander," Norwegian kvima "to flutter"), or else an arbitrary native formation (cf. flim-flam).