Where does “flag-wagger” come from?
flag-wagger (English) comes from English wagger, from English WAG, from Old Norse vága, from Middle Low German wāgen, from Old Saxon wagan, from Proto-West Germanic wagn, from Proto-Germanic wagnaz, from Proto-Indo-European woǵʰnos — to bring; to transport.
flag-wagger (English): A member of the military who uses flags to send signals
Definitions
- A member of the military who uses flags to send signals
Ancestry of “flag-wagger”, step by step
flag-wagger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wagger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wagger | One who, or that which, wags; A truant, notably... |
| 2 | English | WAG | A wild-assed guess; a rough estimate; A wife or... |
| 3 | Old Norse | vága | — |
| 4 | Middle Low German | wāgen | — |
| 5 | Old Saxon | wagan | wagon, carriage |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wagn | cart, wagon |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wagnaz | cart, wagon |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | woǵʰnos | wagon, primitive carriage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via English flag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flag | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem,... |
| 2 | English | flack | To flutter; palpitate; To hang loosely; flag; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | flacken | to palpitate, flutter; to move to and fro,... |
| 4 | German | flackern | to flicker |
| 5 | Middle High German | vlackern | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | flakuraz | shaking, wavering |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plāg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelə- | to wander; to fill |