Waggle
/ˈwæɡ.əl/noun
To move or swing back and forth with short, quick motions.
Did you know?Waggle is an old Germanic-style expressive word built to imitate repeated movement, not a borrowed “fancy” term—proof that sometimes language itself starts as sound magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wag- / *wagl-
“A base connected with moving or shaking, likely in expressive imitation”
Old English
OE
wagian
“To move, sway, or shake”
Middle English
ME
waglen
“To shake or move to and fro repeatedly”
16th Century
English
waggle
“To move with short, repeated swings or wobbles”
Modern English
English
waggle
“To move back and forth with quick, repeated motions”