Hypertext Webster Gateway: "wheeze"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Wheeze \Wheeze\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Wheezed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Wheezing}.] [OE. whesen, AS. hw?san (cf. Icel. hv[ae]sa to
hiss, Sw. hv["a]sa, Dan. hv[ae]se); akin to AS. hw?sta a
cough, D. hoest, G. husten, OHG. huosto, Icel. h?sti, Lith.
kosti to cough, Skr. k?s. [root]43. Cf. {Husky} hoarse.]
To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling
sound, as persons affected with asthma. ``Wheezing lungs.''
--Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Wheeze \Wheeze\, n.
1. A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult
respiration.
2. (Phon.) An ordinary whisper exaggerated so as to produce
the hoarse sound known as the ``stage whisper.'' It is a
forcible whisper with some admixture of tone.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
wheeze
n 1: breathing with a husky or whistling sound
2: a humorous anecdote or remark [syn: {joke}, {gag}, {laugh},
{jest}, {jape}, {yak}]
v : breathe with difficulty
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