Whisker

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ʍɪskə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A long, stiff hair growing from the face of certain animals, or a very small distance or margin in measuring something
2. A stiff hair projecting from the face of some mammals used as sensors ; a very narrow range or tiny amount separating two values or measurements
3. A tactile hair that grows on the face of certain creatures helping them sense their environment ; a minimal gap or barely perceptible extent in size or quantity

Etymology: The hairs on a cat's face are named after a verb that means to sweep or brush away. "Whisker" comes from Middle English "wisker", formed from "whisk" with the suffix "-er". The verb "whisk" was used for a quick, brushing motion, so a whisker was, in effect, the thing that did the brushing, a stiff hair that sweeps along the surface it touches. The second sense, a very small distance, grew from the first. Something that "misses by a whisker" passes so close that it nearly brushes against you, and the measurement comes from that sense of near contact rather than from any fixed unit.

Synonyms: hair, bristle, facial hair, stubble, fuzz

Antonyms: baldness, smoothness, hairlessness, cleanness, bare