Where does “wayf” come from?

wayf (Middle English) comes from Old Norse veifa, from Proto-Germanic waibijaną, from Proto-Indo-European weyp- — to shake, tremble, agitate; to swing, sway; to...

Ancestry of “wayf”, step by step

wayf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse veifa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseveifato wave
2Proto-Germanicwaibijanąto wind (around), wrap
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweyp-to shake, tremble, agitate; to swing, sway; to...

via Anglo-Norman waif

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normanwaifwaif
2Old Norseveifflag, waving thing
3Proto-Germanicwaif-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyp- →Every word from Proto-Germanic waibijaną →Every word from Old Norse veifa →