waddle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to walk with short steps while the body sways from side to side

   The duck waddled across the path toward the pond.

2. 2
   noun

   a short-stepped, side-to-side manner of walking

   The penguin's awkward waddle delighted the children.

From Middle English wadelen, a frequentative form related to wade. The ending suggests repeated small movements, fitting the characteristic side-to-side gait described by the modern word.

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