свистнуть

Russian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *sweysd- (to hiss), of imitative origin; see also Ancient Greek σίζω (sízō, I hiss).[1]

Pronunciation

Verb

сви́стнуть • (svístnutʹpf (imperfective свисте́ть)

  1. to whistle
  2. (colloquial) to smack, to slap
  3. (colloquial, figurative) to sneak, to pinch, to steal
    • 1925, Михаил Булгаков [Mikhail Bulgakov], chapter 8, in Собачье сердце; English translation from Avril Pyman, transl., Heart of a Dog, Moscow: Raduga Publishers, 1990:
      — Ага́, быть мо́жет, э́то до́ктор Бормента́ль сви́стнул черво́нцы? — осведоми́лся Фили́пп Фили́ппович ти́хим, но стра́шным по отте́нку го́лосом.
      — Agá, bytʹ móžet, éto dóktor Bormentálʹ svístnul červóncy? — osvedomílsja Filípp Filíppovič tíxim, no strášnym po otténku gólosom.
      "Aha, then possibly it was Doctor Bormental who pinched the notes?" inquired Philip Philipovich in a quiet voice tinged with menace.

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*swizd-o-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 365