просвистывать

Russian

Etymology

From просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) +‎ -ывать (-yvatʹ) or from просвиста́ть (prosvistátʹ) +‎ -ывать (-yvatʹ).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [prɐsˈvʲistɨvətʲ]

Verb

просви́стывать • (prosvístyvatʹimpf (perfective просвиста́ть/просвисте́ть)

  1. to whistle (a musical piece)
  2. to whizz, to whistle while flying by
  3. (colloquial) to fritter away, to waste

Usage notes

With this verb, all meanings involving whistling can only have просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) as the corresponding perfective when done with the aid of a whistle, but can have either просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) or просвиста́ть (prosvistátʹ) when done without the aid of a whistle.

Conjugation