waffle

waffle · noun, verb¹

1. German · derived fromWaffel“waffle; wafer”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*webʰ-“to braid, weave”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wēbilǭ
4. Old Dutch · derived from*wāvila
5. Middle Dutch · derived fromwafel
6. Dutch · borrowed fromwafel“waffle; wafer”
7. English todaywaffle

The noun is borrowed from Dutch wafel (“waffle; wafer”), from Middle Dutch wafel, wafele, wavel, from Old Dutch *wāvila, from Proto-Germanic *wēbilǭ, *wēbilō, possibly related to Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”) (whence Dutch weven (“to weave”) and English weave; compare, from the same verbal root, German Wabe (“honeycomb”), given that the grid pattern of the traditional Dutch lent and holiday pastry strikingly resembles a honeycomb), and possibly reinforced by German Waffel (“waffle; wafer”). The English word is a doublet of wafer and gauffre. The verb (“to smash”) derives from the manner in which batter is pressed into the shape of a waffle between the two halves of a waffle iron.

waffle · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*webʰ-“to braid, weave”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wabōną
3. Old English · derived fromwafian“to wave”
4. Northern Middle English · derived fromwafe
5. Middle Scots · derived fromwaff“signal; gust of wind; glimpse; a flapping, waving”
6. Scots · borrowed fromwaffle“to waver, flap, flutter”
7. English todaywaffle

The verb is borrowed from Scots waffle (“to waver, flap, flutter”), from waff (“to wag, wave; to flap, flutter”) + -le (diminutive or frequentative suffix), from Middle Scots waff (“signal; gust of wind; glimpse; a flapping, waving”), from Northern Middle English wafe, waffe, a variant of waven (“to move to and fro, sway; to stray, wander; (figuratively) to follow a weaving course; (figuratively) to vacillate, waver; to move something to and fro, wave”) (whence wave), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), from Proto-Germanic *wabōną, *wabjaną (“to sway; to wander”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”). Regarding sense 5 (“to speak or write (something) at length without any clear aim or point”), compare Old English wæflian (“to talk foolishly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *babalōną (“to babble, chatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- (“to say”) and/or Proto-Indo-European *baba- (“to talk vaguely; to mumble”). The Oxford English Dictionary does not derive the English word waffle from this Old English word. Compare also Dutch wauwelen (“to linger, waffle, jabber, gab, chat”). The noun is derived from the verb.

waffle · verb, noun³

Possibly from waff (“(dialectal) to bark, woof”) (imitative of a dog’s yelp) + -le (diminutive or frequentative suffix).

Words from the same roots