Technical name: vibrissa any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat, rat, or other mammal
2.
any of the hairs growing on a person's face, esp on the cheeks or chin
3.
(plural) a beard or that part of it growing on the sides of the face
4.
informal (plural) a moustache
5.
whisker boom, Also called: whisker pole any light spar used for extending the clews of a sail, esp in light airs
6.
chem a very fine filamentary crystal having greater strength than the bulk material since it is a single crystal. Such crystals often show unusual electrical properties
7.
a person or thing that whisks
8.
a narrow margin; a small distance: he escaped death by a whisker
"hair of a man's face" (usually plural), c.1600, originally a playful formation, from M.E. wisker "anything that whisks or sweeps" (early 15c.); see whisk (v.). In ref. to animal lip hair, recorded from 1670s.