See Also: whim(medicine)
whim(dictionary)
whim(dictionary)
whim-wham(dictionary)

whim (iou)



whim noun & verb. M17.
[Origin unkn.]
A. noun.
I. A pun, a play on words. Only in M17.
A fanciful or fantastic (esp. artistic) creation; something odd or quaint. L17-E19.
A sudden fancy; a freakish idea; a caprice. L17.
P. G. Wodehouse A woman's whims have to be respected, however apparently absurd. L. Durrell The whim seized him to drive me to Montaza.
Capriciousness. E18.
Pope Sneering Goode, half malice and half whim.
II.
A kind of windlass turned by a horse and used esp. for raising ore or water from a mine. arch. M18.
b. verb. Infl. -mm-.
verb trans. Orig., spurn or put off on a whim. Now, have a sudden fancy or desire for. Also foll. by to do. E18.
verb intrans. Of the head: swim. dial. E18.
whimmery noun a piece of whimsicality M19.
whimmy adjective whimsical, capricious L18.