{"id":4556,"date":"2026-08-15T16:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T16:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4556"},"modified":"2026-08-15T17:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T17:37:28","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-woven-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4556","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Woven Waves"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Woven Waves\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-08-15T16:44:51+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M25S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word wave.\n\n\n\nAs verb, to wave [w\u025bjv \/ we\u026av] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one's hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call atten...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.6\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2340\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4556-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4556-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"wovenwaves.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word <strong>wave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/127311540@N02\/22258709651\/in\/photolist-zUVGU4-cKNtpW-94wen6-fEpE8g-qg1sUB-76iXdg-k2uagB-AJLBh6-6q9YUR-fwqynh-CsctE8-4oFgUD-duYLU7-7VV3FP-7QnHKN-unhfZ1-asCyqB-bzkNYr-ak4VpD-q973iH-pakTvp-56JJY6-NZDVwT-FHQwsK-wUyktp-qzawSb-mZBNsb-L2NSJa-c8Yjpq-QpRCtn-ojGgxZ-pVjrLM-pDsfK6-iKyLGo-29qjCEA-9czegu-pAtB2D-Ayx12W-t3qW2-rrquF5-rHY9XF-JZpKr8-bSBcLB-7VV3t6-LnUCVN-Ftf3YA-235BeWD-pwyhGV-Efy8Zp-8eAgV\" title=\"Tide&#x27;s Coming In\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/728\/22258709651_14735c943a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"241\" alt=\"Tide&#x27;s Coming In\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As verb, to <strong>wave<\/strong> [w\u025bjv \/ we\u026av] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one&#8217;s hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call attention to by a waving motion, or to have an undulating or wavy form.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>waven<\/em> [\u02c8wa\u02d0v\u0259n] (to shake, swing, go away, waver, wave), from Old English <em>wafian<\/em> [\u02c8w\u0251.vi.\u0251n] (to wave), from Proto-West Germanic <em>*wabbjan<\/em> (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from Proto-Germanic <em>*wabjan\u0105<\/em> (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from <em>*weban\u0105<\/em> (to weave), from PIE <em>*web\u02b0-<\/em> (to weave, braid) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/wave#Etymology_1\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>wasp<\/strong>, <strong>waver<\/strong>, <strong>weave<\/strong>, <strong>web<\/strong> and <strong>weft<\/strong> (the horizontal threads that are interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric) in English, <strong>weben<\/strong> (to weave, intertwine) in German, <strong>v\u00e4v<\/strong> (weave, fabric, web) in Swedish, <strong>gu\u00eape<\/strong> (wasp) in French, and <strong>vespa<\/strong> (wasp) in Italian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/web%CA%B0-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>wave<\/strong> is a moving disturbance in the level of a body of liquid; an undulation, a moving disturbance in the energy level of a field, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from partially from the same roots as the verb <strong>to wave<\/strong>, and also from Middle English <em>wawe<\/em> [wau\u032f] (a wave), from Old English <em>w\u01e3\u0121<\/em> [w\u00e6\u02d0j] (wave, water), from Proto-West Germanic <em>*w\u0101g<\/em> (wave), from Proto-Germanic <em>*w\u0113gaz<\/em> (wave, sea), from PIE <em>*we\u01f5\u02b0-<\/em> (to bring, transport) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/wave#Etymology_2\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include  <strong>vector<\/strong>, <strong>vehicle<\/strong>, <strong>wagon<\/strong>, <strong>way<\/strong>, <strong>wedge<\/strong> and <strong>weight<\/strong> in English, <strong>weg<\/strong> (way, road, manner) in Dutch, <strong>veslo<\/strong> (oar) in Czech, <strong>gwaith<\/strong> (work, labour, act) in Welsh, and <strong>f\u00e9an<\/strong> (wagon, cart) in Irish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/we%C7%B5%CA%B0-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Woven Waves\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-08-15T16:44:51+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M25S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word wave.\n\n\n\nAs verb, to wave [w\u025bjv \/ we\u026av] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one's hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call atten...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.6\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2341\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4556-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4556-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/wovenwaves.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"wovenwaves.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word wave. As verb, to wave [w\u025bjv \/ we\u026av] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one&#8217;s hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call attention to by a waving motion, or to have an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,33,47,20,56,23,24,6,12,4,58,11,55,1,57,59,119,30,7],"tags":[90,9,167,88,8,477,478,103,479],"class_list":["post-4556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-czech","category-dutch","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-german","category-irish","category-italian","category-language","category-middle-english","category-music","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-podcast","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-west-germanic","category-swedish","category-welsh","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-wave","tag-weave","tag-words","tag-woven"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4556"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4558,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4556\/revisions\/4558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}