weave

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: wēv, IPA^(key): /wiːv/

• Audio (US)

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• Homophone: we've
• Rhymes: -iːv

Etymology 1

From Middle English weven (“to weave”), from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, braid”).

Verb

weave (third-person singular simple present weaves, present participle weaving, simple past wove or weaved, past participle woven or weaved or (now colloquial and nonstandard) wove)

1. To form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another.

   This loom weaves yarn into sweaters.

2. To spin a cocoon or a web.

   Spiders weave beautiful but deadly webs.

3. To unite by close connection or intermixture.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     This weaves itself, perforce, into my business.

   • 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: Printed for John Murray, , →OCLC, stanza CII:

     these words, thus woven into song

4. To compose creatively and intricately; to fabricate.

   to weave the plot of a story

Related terms

• web
• sew

Translations

Noun

weave (plural weaves)

1. A type or way of weaving.

   That rug has a very tight weave.

2. (cosmetics) Human or artificial hair worn to alter one's appearance, either to supplement or to cover the natural hair.
   • 2021, Becky S. Li, Howard I. Maibach, Ethnic Skin and Hair and Other Cultural Considerations, page 154:

     The physician should evaluate for a history of tight ponytails, buns, chignons, braids, twists, weaves, cornrows, dreadlocks, sisterlocks, and hair wefts in addition to the usage of religious hair coverings.

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English weven (“to wander”); probably from Old Norse veifa (“move around, wave”), related to Latin vibrare.

Verb

weave (third-person singular simple present weaves, present participle weaving, simple past and past participle weaved)

1. (intransitive) To move by turning and twisting.

   The drunk weaved into another bar.

   • 2017 August 20, “The Observer view on the attacks in Spain”, in The Observer‎:

     The victims’ feeling of incredulity at what they were seeing, swiftly turning to paralysing fear as the van bore down on them, swerving and weaving to hit as many people as possible, can barely be imagined.

   • 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC‎:

     Tevez picked up a throw-in from the right, tip-toed his way into the area and weaved past three Wolves challenges before slotting in to display why, of all City's multi-million pound buys, he remains their most important player.

2. (transitive) To make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side.

   The ambulance weaved its way through the heavy traffic.

   • 1797, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Kubla Khan: Or A Vision in a Dream”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: John Murray, , by William Bulmer and Co. , published 1816, →OCLC, page 58:

     Weave a circle round him thrice,
     And close your eyes with holy dread:
     For he on honey-dew hath fed,
     And drank the milk of Paradise.

3. (intransitive, of an animal) To move the head back and forth in a stereotyped pattern, typically as a symptom of stress.

Translations

References

• “weave”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “weave”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.