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

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

Noun

wiggle ‎(plural wiggles)

1. A wiggling movement.

   She walked with a sexy wiggle.

2. (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