whicker
9.9
A soft neigh a horse makes when it greets or calls
- noun
- /ˈhwɪkər/
:
relincho
- The young colt let out a soft whicker as he nuzzled his mother.
Examples
-
The stallion made a loud whicker, signaling to the mare across the pasture.
-
He let out a little whicker of misery that wrung my heart with pity.
Fiction book (1999) -
With a gentle whicker, the horse welcomed its rider back after a long day.
Synonyms
whinny
vswhicker
11
6.4
A high, gentle sound a horse makes
is broader in pitch and not limited to gentle high tones
neigh
vswhicker
6
4.6
A loud, high sound that a horse makes
is more typical, not mainly loud or high in volume
nicker
vswhicker
2
9.9
A soft low sound a horse makes as a greeting or when it expects food
is broader in use, not focused on soft low greeting sounds
How Loud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Whicker as a noun is an old sound word that copies the soft 'neigh' of a horse, like the familiar word whinny, so a whicker is the gentle neighing sound a horse makes.