English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English wagelen (attested in wagelyng), possibly a borrowing of Middle Low German wagelen; equivalent to wag +‎ -le ((frequentative)). Compare continental equivalents Middle High German wacken ( > Danish vakle, German wackeln), Swedish vagla, West Frisian waggelje, Low German wackeln, Dutch waggelen.

Pronunciation edit

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwaɡəl/
    • (file)
    Rhymes: -æɡəl

Verb edit

waggle (third-person singular simple present waggles, present participle waggling, simple past and past participle waggled)

  1. (transitive) To move (something) with short, quick motions; to wobble.
  2. (transitive, of the eyebrows) To quickly raise and lower in rapid succession, usually as an implication of slyness, smugness, or suggestiveness.
  3. (intransitive) To reel, sway, or move from side to side; to move with a wagging motion; to waddle.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Noun edit

waggle (plural waggles)

  1. An instance of waggling.
  2. A wobbling motion.
    Give the cable a waggle to let it come out quicker.
  3. (golf) The preliminary swinging of the club head back and forth over the ball in the line of the proposed stroke.

Anagrams edit