wiggle

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈwɪɡəl/ UK /ˈwɪɡəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to move with small, quick movements from side to side

The puppy began to wiggle excitedly the moment it heard the door.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to move with small, quick... wriggle squirm jiggle waggle writhe shake

Word family

Derived forms wigglywiggler

Related forms waggle wriggle

Etymology

From Middle English wigelen, probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch wiggelen ('to wobble, totter'), a frequentative related to wegen ('to move').

wiggelen Middle Dutch

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# wiggle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɪɡəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈwɪɡəl/

## Meanings
1. to move with small, quick movements from side to side

## Examples
- The puppy began to wiggle excitedly the moment it heard the door.

## Synonyms
- wriggle
- squirm
- jiggle
- waggle
- writhe
- shake

## Derived Forms
- wiggly
- wiggler

## Related Forms
- waggle
- wriggle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wiggelen

## Etymology
From Middle English wigelen, probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch wiggelen ('to wobble, totter'), a frequentative related to wegen ('to move').

## AI Etymology
wiggle comes from Middle English wigelen, probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch wiggelen ('to wobble, totter'), a frequentative related to wegen ('to move'). The explanation preserves that uncertainty: the proposed comparisons illuminate the form, but they do not turn the word into a securely traced inheritance or borrowing. In modern use, the verb sense is "to move with small, quick movements from side to side", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as waggle, wriggle and derivatives such as wiggly, wiggler, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Middle Dutch wiggelen, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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