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whip

The origin and history of whip.

Etymology

From Middle English whippen, "to move suddenly", related to Dutch wippen ("to swing or bounce") — the political sense comes from "whipper-in", the huntsman who kept hounds from straying, borrowed into parliamentary slang in the 1700s.

Origin: Middle English · First attested 1700

Class of 1700

whip first entered the language around 1700. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 1700 →
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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.