'whistleblower' originates from the English words 'whistle' and 'blower', where 'whistle' refers to a device that makes a sound and 'blower' refers to someone who blows or sounds the whistle.

'whistleblower' evolved from the practice of referees blowing a whistle to indicate a foul or misconduct, eventually becoming a term for someone who exposes wrongdoing.

Initially, it referred to someone who literally blew a whistle to alert others, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of someone who exposes misconduct.