WHIPLASH

whip, lash, whiplash

(noun) a quick blow delivered with a whip or whiplike object; “the whip raised a red welt”

whiplash, whiplash injury

(noun) an injury to the neck (the cervical vertebrae) resulting from rapid acceleration or deceleration (as in an automobile accident)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

whiplash (plural whiplashes)

the lash of a whip

an injury to the upper spine connected to a violent jerk of the head in either a backward or forward or side to side direction, resembling the motion of a whip

Synonyms: whiplash injury, whiplash-associated disorder

Usage notes

The exact causal chain leading to the medical condition as well as the objectivisation of its diagnostics are still controversial, thus the attributability of symptoms to the acts of tortfeasors is frequently subject to dispute.

Verb

whiplash (third-person singular simple present whiplashes, present participle whiplashing, simple past and past participle whiplashed)

To jerk back and forth; to buffet

To lash as if with a whip

Source: Wiktionary

Whip"lash`, n.

Definition: The lash of a whip, -- usually made of thongs of leather, or of cords, braided or twisted.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition