webh-

To weave, also to move quickly.

Derivatives include web, weevil, and wobble.

1. weave, woof¹, from Old English wefan, to weave, from Germanic *weban.

2. weft, from Old English wefta, weft, cross thread, from Germanic *wefta-.

3. Suffixed o-grade form *wobh-yo-. web, webster, from Old English web(b), web, from Germanic *wabjam, fabric, web.

4. weevil, from Old English wifel, weevil (< “that which moves briskly”), from suffixed Germanic form *webila-.

5.

a.

(i) goffer, from Old French gaufre, honeycomb, waffle;

(ii) wafer, from Old North French waufre, wafer. Both (i) and (ii) from a source akin to Middle Low German wāfel, honeycomb;

b. waffle¹, from Middle Dutch wāfel, waffle. Both a and b from suffixed Germanic form *wabila-, web, honeycomb.

6. Possibly Germanic *wab-, to move back and forth as in weaving.

a. wave, from Old English wafian, to move (the hand) up and down;

b. waver, from Middle English waveren, to waver;

c. wobble, from Low German wabbeln, to move from side to side, sway.

7. Suffixed zero-grade form *ubh-ā-. hypha, from Greek huphē, web.

 

[Pokorny u̯ebh- 1114.]

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