wabbeln

From Middle High German wabelen, merged with related Middle Low German *wabbelen. To the former compare Old Norse vafla, to the latter dialectal Dutch wobbelen, English wabble, wobble. All of these are iteratives of Proto-Germanic *wabōną, related to *webaną (“to weave”), whence Middle High German waben (“to move about”), Old English wafian (modern English wave).

In the High German form, the -bb- is due to blocking of open-syllable lengthening, which is fairly common before the syllables -el- and -er-. In the Low German form it must be due to expressive gemination.

• IPA^(key): /ˈvabəln/, , ,

• Audio:

  (file)

wabbeln (weak, third-person singular present wabbelt, past tense wabbelte, past participle gewabbelt, auxiliary haben)

1. (informal) to wobble, wiggle, jiggle; said of jelly/jello, human body fat, and the like

   Synonym: schwabbeln

• wabbelig

Cognate with English wobble and wabble.

wabbeln (past singular wabbel, past participle wabbelt, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. to wobble, wiggle, shake, waggle