'wheeze' originates from Middle English and is probably imitative (echoic) in origin, formed to mimic the sound of strained breathing.

'wheeze' appears in Middle English in forms such as 'whesen' or similar echoic spellings and later developed into the modern English 'wheeze' and related forms like 'wheezing'.

Initially, it referred to a breathy or whistling sound made in breathing; over time this broadened to include the action of breathing noisily and figurative senses (e.g., a clever trick called 'a wheeze').