waver

waver · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*webʰ-“to braid, weave”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*webaną“to weave”
3. Old Norse · derived fromvafra“to move unsteadily, flicker”
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wabjaną“to cause to weave; to entangle; to wrap”
5. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*wabbjan“to cause to weave; to entangle; to wrap”
6. Old English · derived fromwafian“to wave”
7. Middle English · inherited fromwaveren“to move back and forth, swing; to move unsteadily, totter; to shake, tremble; to wander; (figurative) to be changeable or unstable; to deviate”
8. English todaywaver

The verb is derived from Middle English waveren (“to move back and forth, swing; to move unsteadily, totter; to shake, tremble; to wander; (figurative) to be changeable or unstable; to deviate”), and then possibly: * from Old English (compare Old English wǣfre (“flickering, quivering, wavering; active, nimble (?)”)), related to Old English wafian (“to wave”) from Proto-West Germanic *wabbjan (“to cause to weave; to entangle; to wrap”), from Proto-Germanic *wabjaną (“to cause to weave; to entangle; to wrap”); and/or * from Old Norse vafra (“to move unsteadily, flicker”), probably related to vefa (“to weave”); both from Proto-Germanic *webaną (“to weave”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”). Doublet of wave. The noun is derived from the verb.

waver · noun²

From wave (verb) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

waver · noun³

Origin uncertain, possibly from waive (“(obsolete) to disregard, overlook”). According to the Oxford English Dictionary the early forms waiver, wayver, weaver indicate that the word is probably not derived from wave (verb).

Words from the same roots