Etymology

wipe

W4I1P3E1

Today it means: To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) Full definition →

Middle English wipen ← Old English wīpian ← Proto-West Germanic *wīpōn
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wipe · verb, noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*weyp-“to twist, wind around”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wīpōn“to wipe”
  3. Old English · inherited fromwīpian“to wipe, rub, cleanse”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromwipen
  5. English todaywipe

From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian (“to wipe, rub, cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīpōn (“to wipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to twist, wind around”). Cognate with German wippen (“to bob”), Swedish veva (“to turn, wind, crank”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (weipan, “to wreathe, crown”), Old English swīfan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”), Sanskrit वेपते (vépate, “to tremble”). More at swivel, swift.

wipe · noun2

Compare Swedish vipa, Danish vibe (“lapwing”).

wipe · verb, noun3

From wipe out (verb) and wipeout (noun) by shortening.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*weyp- all →

whipvibrate

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.