1550s as a person, 1580s as a cloth, agent noun wipe (v.). From 1929 as short for windshield wiper.
Entries linking to wiper
wipe v.
Old English wipian "to wipe, cleanse," from Proto-Germanic *wipjan "to move back and forth" (source also of Danish vippe, Middle Dutch, Dutch vippen, Old High German wifan "to swing"), from PIE root *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble."