Etymology
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.
Verb
waggle (third-person singular simple present waggles, present participle waggling, simple past and past participle waggled)
- (transitive) To move (something) with short, quick motions; to wobble.
1958 May, Avram Davidson, “Or All The Seas With Oysters”, in Galaxy Science Fiction, page 56:Oscar turned to someone who wasn't there and waggled his head. "Hoo, boy," he said.
- (transitive, of the eyebrows) To quickly raise and lower in rapid succession, usually as an implication of slyness, smugness, or suggestiveness.
- (intransitive) To reel, sway, or move from side to side; to move with a wagging motion; to waddle.
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:I know you by the waggling of your head.
1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small:The tassel on the end of his pigtail waggled all down the path and, as he turned out of the gate, it gave a special little flip.
Translations
move with short, quick motions; wobble
- Bulgarian: поклащам (bg) (poklaštam)
- Czech: vrtět (cs) impf, zavrtět (cs) pf, kmitat impf, zakmitat pf, mávat (cs) impf, zamávat pf, kvedlat impf, zakvedlat pf
- French: frétiller (fr)
- German: wackeln (de), wedeln (de)
- Japanese: 振る (ja) (furu), 動かす (ja) (ugokasu), ぐらぐら動かす (guragura ugokasu)
- Maori: mānānana, tīonioni, pīonioni, nenei
- Portuguese: agitar (pt), sacudir (pt)
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Noun
waggle (plural waggles)
- An instance of waggling.
- A wobbling motion.
Give the cable a waggle to let it come out quicker.
- (golf) The preliminary swinging of the club head back and forth over the ball in the line of the proposed stroke.