One of the strengths of the English language is the nuance it exhibits when called upon to supply words for every possible kind of whining and complaining. We English users
vent, we
lament, we fuss and
grouse and
kvetch. We also—especially those of us
across the pond—have a tendency to whinge. Contrary to appearances,
whinge is etymologically distinct from
whine. The latter traces to an Old English verb,
hwīnan, meaning "to hum or whir like a speeding object (such as an arrow) through the air." When
hwīnan became
whine in Middle English, it meant "to wail distressfully";
whine didn't acquire its "complain" sense until the 16th century.
Whinge, on the other hand, comes from a different Old English verb,
hwinsian, meaning "to wail or moan discontentedly."
Whinge retains that original sense today, though nowadays it puts less emphasis on the sound of the complaining and more on the discontentment behind all the whinging and moaning.
