просвистывать

Russian

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Etymology

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From просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) +‎ -ывать (-yvatʹ) or from просвиста́ть (prosvistátʹ) +‎ -ывать (-yvatʹ).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [prɐsˈvʲistɨvətʲ]

Verb

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просви́стывать (prosvístyvatʹimpf (perfective просвиста́ть/просвисте́ть)

  1. to whistle (a musical piece)
  2. to whizz, to whistle while flying by
  3. (colloquial) to fritter away, to waste

Usage notes

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With this verb, all meanings involving whistling can only have просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) as the corresponding perfective when done with the aid of a whistle, but can have either просвисте́ть (prosvistétʹ) or просвиста́ть (prosvistátʹ) when done without the aid of a whistle.

Conjugation

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