E 0972          WAG, WAGGLE, SWAY

The words "wag" and "waggle" are of Germanic origin

H 0219            ק י ע

Concept of root : to sway

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ק י ע

‛ayiq

swing, rock, balance

Related English words

wag, waggle ; sway

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ק י ע

‛ayiq

swing, rock, balance

‛ . i . q <

*‛ . w . q

English

wag ; waggle

wag ;

waggle

      w . g

Dutch

wikken ;

-

waggelen

-

wikken ;

-

waghelen

-

sway, balance ; sway, wobble

w i k

-

w . g

-

Middle High German

wacken

-

wackeln

wakken;

-

wakkeln

to move to and fro;

to sway

w . k

German

wackeln

wakkeln

sway

w . k

 

 

Proto-Semitic *‛AWAQ --- *WAK- Indo-European

 

 

 

Sometimes the Hebrew Ayin , an emphasized guttural vowel-stop , can only be explained as an intensification of the pronunciation of a word . This is the case also in this entry, where we find no counterpart for the Ayin in the Germanic roots .

 

We see that the Yod, the I-sound that the Ayin has been placed in front of, must be the common development from an original Waw ( W-U-sound ) . This can be confirmed in a comparison with entry, E 0973 (Hebrew 0614), in which the W is still present .

 

Note:
  • English "to waggle" is a frequentative form of " to wag". The word " sway ", a different development on the basis of the same original root, has added an initial S ( typically Germanic ) and has changed the final G into an Y ( typically English ) . It has sisters like Dutch " zwaaien " is " to sway " .

 

Note:
  • Dutch. " Wikken " is an intensive form of a disappeared verb, that probably was "*wacken ". Contrary to what often is thought, the verb "wikken" does not only mean the same as "wegen" or "to weigh". This misunderstanding has been caused by the fact that another "wicken" is the intensive form of a verb "weghen" that stood for " to weigh". Both verbs, the one with an A and the one with an E, formed identical intensives "wicken".

     

    In Modern-Dutch " wikken " is as good as only used in the fixed expression "wikken en wegen" meaning "to turn over in one’s mind" or "doubting while considering the pro’s and con’s". But in Middle Dutch it still said "to move, shake".

 

Note:
  • Germanic . There is a related group of roots, in which instead of a second consonant "G" or "K" a "B","V" or "F" is present. Examples of this group are English "to wave" and " to waver", besides Old English "wafian = to wave". Dutch has "wippen =to seesaw " and "wiebelen= to wobble, wibble-wobble" . This is not the only case in which Germanic has two versions of a group of words, with respective use of consonants from "K; GH;G;H" or from "B;V;F;P".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . English "to wag" has many relatives. In the first place in English itself, such as "to sway" that changed the "G" into "Y" and probably "to swagger", that has maintained the "G". Then we have Norwegian "svaga, svagga, svaie = to sway, swing", Swedish "svaja = to swing", Middle Low German "swaien = to sway" and Dutch "zwaaien = to sway". But in many languages there is no sister word available. Anyhow the information is sufficient to suppose a Proto-Germanic "*S W A G-", with an older "*W A G-". Important is that in intensive forms a doubling of the "G" in earlier times could result in a "K"-sound.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic There exist various views about the message of the Hebrew root of this entry. It is also explained as meaning " to press". Anyhow there is no evidence to support any of the two meanings as a basis for a hypothesis for Proto-Semitic.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European The existing hypotheses "*W A K-" and "*W A G-" are indeed two realistic possibilities. The first one finds more support in Old Indian.

     

    Old Indian has a nasalized "vancati = to waver, waggle" and related meanings. There is also a related non nasalized "vakyate = to rock, roll".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 23/12/2012 at 11.05.46