A person who is exceptionally skilled or talented at something, or a whistling sound made by something moving very fast.
Likely from the onomatopoeia of a whistling sound, first recorded in the 1600s. The meaning shifted to describe someone who moves quickly through tasks with skill, then evolved to mean any expert or genius.
The term 'whiz kid' became popular in the 1980s for young computer prodigies, but 'whiz' as slang has been around for centuries describing anyone incredibly good at their craft. It's one of the few words that started as a sound effect!
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