Where does “waves” come from?

Wave derives from Middle English wave, from Old English wafian, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European webʰ-, meaning to weave or move back and forth.

waves (English): plural of wave; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of wave; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “waves”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwaveTo move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat...
2Middle EnglishwaweA wave; Any sort of flowing or spurting motion;...
3Old Englishwǣġa weight; a tool for weighing, balance, scale
4Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-
waves — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer