English
weave
Weave comes from Middle English weven ‘to weave’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *webʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*webʰ-‘to weave, braid’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*webaną‘to weave’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*weban‘to weave’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wefan‘to weave’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500weven‘to weave’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606weave
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*webʰ-‘to weave, braid’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*webaną‘to weave’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*weban‘to weave’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wefan‘to weave’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500weven‘to weave’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606weave
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “This weaves itself, perforce, into my business.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- ‘to weave, braid’
wave, wasp, waffle, whiff, woof, 5 more
through Proto-Germanic *webaną ‘to weave’
through Old English wefan ‘to weave’
Another origin of weave
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyp-‘to shake, swing’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*woypéyetiuncertaincausative of *weyp-
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*waibijaną‘to wind (around), wrap’uncertain
- Old Norsec. 800–1350veifa‘move around, wave’uncertain
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500weven‘to wander’
- Englishtodayweave
From Middle English weven (‘to wander’); probably from Old Norse veifa (‘move around, wave’), related to Latin vibrare.
Today it means
verb To form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- / weave