wag

wag · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wagōną“to wag”
2. Old Norse · derived fromvaga“to wag, waddle”
3. Old English · inherited fromwagian“to wag, wave, shake”
4. Middle English · inherited fromwaggen
5. English todaywag

From Middle English waggen, probably from Old English wagian (“to wag, wave, shake”) with reinforcement from Old Norse vaga (“to wag, waddle”); both from Proto-Germanic *wagōną (“to wag”). Related to English way. The verb may be regarded as an iterative or emphatic form of waw (verb), which is often nearly synonymous; it was used, e.g., of a loose tooth. Parallel formations from the same root are the Old Norse vagga feminine, cradle (Swedish vagga, Danish vugge), Swedish vagga (“to rock a cradle”), vugge (“to rock a cradle”), Dutch wagen (“to move”), early modern German waggen (dialectal German wacken) to waver, totter. Compare waggle, verb

WAG · noun²

Back-formation from WAGs (“wives and girlfriends”), mid-2000s.

WAG · noun³

Acronyms.

Words from the same roots