neigh
/neɪ
/noun
A characteristic high whinnying sound made by a horse.In a decision that speaks well of his integrity but poorly of his abilities as a children's entertainer, screenwriter John Fusco decided that his equine characters communicate only through neighs and whinnies....
- Shortly afterward, the others heard whinnies and neighs and the two rescuers urging their steeds forward.
- The nearest horses reared, shooting out two-foot flames, making a sound that was a cross between a neigh and a roar.
verb [no object]
1(Of a horse) utter a neigh: he neighed several times in a very gentle way (as noun neighing) the neighing of horses...
- Inside each of the four buildings a horse neighed, stamped or whinnied.
- The horses neighed and whinnied in the grand hall and the castle jolted.
- Generators are running all night and their horses are neighing and the dogs barking.
Synonyms
whinny, bray, nicker, snicker, whicker
Scottish archaic nicher
rare hinny
1.1(Of a person) make a sound similar to a neigh, especially when laughing: they neighed dutifully at jokes they did not understand
Origin
Old English hnǣgan (verb), of imitative origin; compare with Dutch dialect neijen.
nag from Middle English:
In the sense ‘to find fault persistently’, nag was originally a northern English expression meaning ‘to gnaw or nibble’ that probably came from Scandinavia or Germany. The first written evidence is from the early 18th century, but may well be earlier, as dialect expressions are often used for a long time before they appear in print. Nag meaning ‘an old or worn-out horse’ is a different word. It may be from early Dutch, or it could be related to neigh (Old English). See also hack, jade