Wigglewort
/ˈwɪɡəlwɜːrt/noun
An obsolete or dialectal name for a plant, with the particular species varying between sources.
Did you know?The ending “-wort” once meant simply “plant” or “herb,” surviving in names such as liverwort, mugwort, and St. John’s wort.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“To move, transport, or carry; a proposed ancestor of the Germanic movement-word family.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wagjaną
“To move or cause to move; related to the ancestors of wag and way.”
Old English
Old English
wyrt
“Plant, herb, or root; the source of the second element in modern compounds ending in -wort.”
Middle English
Middle English
wiglen
“To move back and forth or wriggle; the likely source of the first element.”
Early Modern English
English
wiggle-wort
“A dialectal plant-name formed from wiggle plus wort, literally a “wiggling herb” or “wiggle plant.””
Modern English
English
wigglewort
“An obsolete or regional botanical name whose referent is not consistent across sources.”