wiggle

English

Etymology

From Middle English wiglen, probably from Middle Dutch wigelen (“to wiggle”) and perhaps Middle Low German wigelen, frequentative of wiegen (“to rock”), from wiege (“cradle”). See wain, and Dutch wieg (“cradle”).

Cognate to Dutch wiggelen (“to wiggle”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

wiggle (third-person singular simple present wiggles, present participle wiggling, simple past and past participle wiggled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To move with irregular, back and forward or side to side motions; To shake or jiggle.

   Her hips wiggle as she walks.

   The jelly wiggles on the plate when you move it.

Translations

to move with irregular motions

• Dutch: wiebelen (nl)
• Finnish: tytistä, hytistä (fi), tutista (fi), hytkyä, hyllyä (intransitive); hytisyttää, tutisuttaa, hytkyttää (transitive)
• French: frétiller (fr), se tortiller
• Georgian: ქნევა (kneva), ქიცინი (kicini) (especially for dog's tail)
• German: schlängeln (de), schwänzeln (de), wackeln (de)
• Hungarian: ficánkol (hu), ring (hu), ringatózik (hu), hullámzik (hu)

• Norwegian: vrikke
• Portuguese: rebolar (pt), sacolejar
• Russian: покачивать (ru) (pokačivatʹ), раскачиваться (ru) (raskačivatʹsja)
• Spanish: menear (es), contonear (es)
• Swedish: vicka (sv)

Noun

wiggle (plural wiggles)

1. A rapid movement in alternating opposite directions, not necessarily regular.

   She walked with a sexy wiggle.

2. (figuratively) An alternating state or characteristic. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
3. (in the plural) See wiggles.

Translations

wiggling movement

• Finnish: tutina, hytinä, hytke
• Norwegian: vrikk n

• Portuguese: rebolado (pt)
• Russian: покачивание (ru) n (pokačivanije)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun or verb wiggle

• get a wiggle on

• wiggle room

• wiggly