Where does “waver” come from?
Waver comes from Middle English waveren, from Old Norse vafra, whose original sense remains unattested.
waver (English): To sway back and forth; to totter or reel; To...
Definitions
- To sway back and forth; to totter or reel; To...
Ancestry of “waver”, step by step
waver traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wave | To move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat... |
| 2 | Middle English | wawe | A wave; Any sort of flowing or spurting motion;... |
| 3 | Old English | wǣġ | a weight; a tool for weighing, balance, scale |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |