waverv.

Brit.

/ˈweɪvə/, U.S.

/ˈweɪvər/

Forms: Also Middle English wever, Middle English Scottish wayver, wafer, Middle English–1500s Scottish vaver, Middle English–1600s Scottish wawer, Middle English wavere, wavur, wafyr, 1500s wavor, Scottish vaifer, 1600s wavour.

Etymology: Middle English waver , wever = Middle High German waberên , modern German (now dialect) wabern , webern to move about, Old Norse vafra to move unsteadily, flicker (compare vafrloge flickering flame), Norwegian vavra to go to and fro, stagger; a frequentative < Germanic root *waƀ- : see wave v.Shoreham's weverinde (c1315, sense 5) shows that the word in the south at least is native English (compare Old English wæfre unsteady, also nimble); it is possible that in the north the word may partly represent an adoption of Old Norse vafra, but the supposition is not necessary.

I. Intransitive.

a. To go about or travel at random or without fixed destination; to wander, rove. Also with adverb, as about.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > aspects of travel > travel from place to place > [verb (intransitive)] > with no fixed aim or wander

wharvec890

woreOE

wandera1000

rengec1230

wagc1325

roamc1330

errc1374

raikc1390

ravec1390

rumblec1400

rollc1405

railc1425

roit1440

waverc1440

rangea1450

rove1481

to-waver1487

vaguea1525

evague1533

rangle1567

to go a-strayinga1586

vagary1598

divagate1599

obambulate1614

vagitate1614

ramble1615

divage1623

pererrate1623

squander1630

peramble1632

rink1710

ratch1801

browse1803

vagrate1807

bum1857

piroot1858

scamander1864

truck1864

bat1867

vagrant1886

float1901

vagulate1918

pissant1945

c1440 Alphabet of Tales 490 Þai waxed so pure at þai wavurd aboute here & þer.

c1480 (a1400) St. Julian 287 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 466 Waferand fra place to place.

1483 Cath. Angl. 411/1 To Wavere Aboute [v.r. Wafyr Abowt], vagari.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vii. 41 The sleuth-hund maid stynting thar, And vaueryt [1489 Adv. waweryt] lang tyme to and fra.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) iv. l. 283 He saw mony rout Off wyld bestis wauerand in wode and playn.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. v. 70 Quha ar vnbereit a hundreth ȝeir man byde, Wauerand and wandrand by this bankis syde.

1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 9 There were two Channels..where through the fishermen did wander and wauer vp to Norwitch, and diuers parts of Suffolke and Norfolke.

1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey i. viii. 63 Michael watched him down the corridor, saw him waver into the dusky street.

1977 D. Francis Risk ii. 20 One of them [sc. the two horses in front] wavered up the straight at a widening angle. The other seemed to be stopping second by second... Tapestry scorched past both of them..and won the Gold Cup.

†b. To stray from. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)] > stray or go astray

dwelec900

miswendOE

to fare astray (misliche, amiss)c1175

to step astray, awry, beside1297

weyec1315

outrayc1330

strayc1330

waivea1375

forvay1390

outwandera1400

stragglea1425

waverc1485

wander?1507

swerve1543

wift?a1560

random1561

estray1572

egar1584

to go a-strayinga1586

to step aside1787

err1819

moider1839

maverick1910

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) i. 4 He slepit apon his palfray, and wauerit fra his folk out of the hye way.

1599 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1848) II. 204 The said Thomas hes bene accusit of..wavering oftentymes fra his wyff, bairnis, and famelie.

1609 J. Skene tr. Quoniam Attach. in Regiam Majestatem x. 78 Gif..he..sall sweare that, that beast did waver away from him.

2. To sway to and fro, as if in danger of falling; to reel, stagger, totter. Now rare (cf. 5d, 7).

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > totter

shake1297

waive1338

wagc1340

falterc1386

waverc1440

branglea1522

totterc1522

wave1538

swerve1573

nod1582

tittera1618

cockle1634

labascate1727

teeter1904

oversway1994

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 447/2 Schoggyn, schakyn or waveryn, vacillo.

a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 233 Bot ay his an futt did wawer. He stackeret lyk ane strummall awer.

1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xi. sig. Fij Oza for puttyng his hande to the holy shryne that, was called Archa federis,..though it were wauerynge and in daunger to fall, yet was he stryken of god.

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 8266 All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote.

1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 108 When they [sc. the Fins] are cut off, it [sc. the Body of the Fish] wavers to and fro.

1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxxiii. 191 She was evidently in a condition of great suffering, and Tom often heard her praying, as she wavered and trembled, and seemed about to fall down.

a. To swing or wave in the air; to float or flutter.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > wave in the wind

rotec1330

waive1338

waverc1440

wafterc1450

wave1487

to waver with or in the windc1503

streama1560

flaunt1576

wift1609

fly1659

waff1834

flare1837

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 518/2 Wawyn, or waueryn, yn a myry totyr, oscillo.

c1530 A. Barclay Egloges iii. sig. Niij Somtyme must thou stoupe, unto a rude vyllayne Callynge hym mayster,..All yf thou wolde se hym wawer in a bande.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. viii. 18–22 The byrdes fleyng and wauoring in the ayer.

1574 T. Hill Weather in Arte Gardening viii. 72 The kytes playing and wauering about in the aire.

1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. xv. 136 Two Lions came running with their shaggy lockes wauering about their shoulders.

1726 J. Thomson Winter 10 Thro' the hush'd Air, the whitening Shower descends, At first, thin-wavering.

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian v, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 174 He could discern a figure wavering and struggling as it hung suspended above the heads of the multitude.

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess vi. 124 On their curls From the high tree the blossom wavering fell.

1864 W. W. Skeat tr. J. L. Uhland Songs & Ballads 252 Lo! down waver clustering ringlets Round a soft and gentle face!

1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 689 Huge butterflies wavered about the cactus plants.

b. to waver with or in the wind. ? Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > wave in the wind

rotec1330

waive1338

waverc1440

wafterc1450

wave1487

to waver with or in the windc1503

streama1560

flaunt1576

wift1609

fly1659

waff1834

flare1837

c1503 Nutbrown Maid in R. Arnold Chron. f. lxxvi Wythout pytee, hanged to bee, and wauer w^t the wynde.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cccxxxiii. 522 With baners and penons waueryng with the wynde.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xi. f. xiiij^v A rede waveringe with the wynde.

1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. lxxviii. 158 After this, hee went up and downe, wauering in the winde, tarryeng for the rest of the shippes.

1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxii. 508 Soon fled the soul impure, and left behind The empty corse to waver with the wind.

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 54 Here many an outlaw..had wavered in the wind during the wars.

1828 M. R. Mitford Our Village III. 165 A lank, long, stooping figure, which seemed wavering in the wind like a powder-puff.

c. transferred.

ΚΠ

1860 N. Hawthorne Transformation II. xiii. 202 Now tumbling down, down, down, with a long shriek wavering after him, all the way!

1876 W. Morris Story of Sigurd ii. 141 The wind in his raiment wavered.

†4. Of water, waves: To surge. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > move restlessly about [verb (intransitive)] > run high, surge, or heave

flash1387

lifta1400

walterc1400

waverc1425

welter1489

jaw1513

roll?1532

surge1566

billow1596

to run high1598

estuate1658

to run steep1894

roil1913

c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. 1963 As rewaris reythe for rayn wil rysse And wauer mare wiþe wawis woide Þan wil a kyndly standande flude.

a. Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)]

haltc825

flecchec1300

waverc1315

flickerc1325

wag1387

swervea1400

floghter1521

stacker1526

to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530

wave1532

stagger1533

to hang in the wind1536

to waver as, like, with the wind1548

mammer1554

sway1563

dodge1568

erch1584

suspend1585

float1598

swag1608

hoverc1620

hesitate1623

vacillate1623

fluctuate1634

demur1641

balance1656

to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674

to stand shall I, shall I1674

to go shill-I shall-I1700

to stand at shilly-shally1700

to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734

whiffle1737

dilly-dally1740

to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751

oscillate1771

shilly-shally1782

dacker1817

librate1822

humdrum1825

swing1833

(to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848

to back and fill1854

haver1866

wobble1867

shaffle1873

dicker1879

to be on the weigh-scales1886

waffle1894

to think twice1898

to teeter on the brink1902

dither1908

vagulate1918

pern1920

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver

flecchec1300

waverc1315

remue1340

shake1340

flitc1386

flow1434

falter1521

flitter1543

to waver as, like, with the wind1548

rove1549

float1598

jarga1614

give ground1662

weaken1876

unbend1877

c1315 Shoreham Poems i. 424 And þi bi-leaue of ihesu crist His nou al weuerinde.

c1407 J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte 2901 And thus I stood al in a rage With look cast fix in hir visage, Wavering as in a were.

c1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. 4318 He was curyousse in his stille,..Mad in metyr meit his dyte, Litil or noucht neuir þe lesse Wauerande fra þe suythtfastnes.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 18/2 Waueron yn hert for vnstabylnesse, muto.

c1440 Gesta Romanorum xxv. 97 Þat he sette fully his hope in god, and not be dul in the feithe, ne wauere in the comavndementes of god.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xii. 185 Mony ane hert sall vaverand [1489 Adv. wawerand] be That semyt ere of gret bounte.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) James i. 6 But let hym axe in faythe and waver not [1611 nothing wauering].

a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. CCxxiii^v That we his yongest chylder..sholde not..wauer in our fayth.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. i. 20, 21 Why art thou vexed? why doest thou wauer in & out?

1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3 And nice affections wauering stood in doubt If best were as it was, or best without.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 43 They that wavered betweene warre and peace.

1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 28 Vertue that wavers is not vertue.

1715 J. Addison Spectator No. 585. ¶8 Her Mind continued wavering about twenty Years longer between Shalum and Mishpach.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 603 While he was thus wavering between projects equally hopeless.

1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iv. 355 The allegiance even of the bishops and the secular clergy to Rome had begun to waver.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People iv. §2. 172 Only on one occasion..did the burgesses waver from their general support of the Crown.

1883 J. A. Froude Short Stud. IV. i. xi. 131 Many people had begun to waver in their allegiance.

1884 M. Creighton Hist. Ess. (1902) viii. 239 For a time opinions wavered which boundary to choose.

†b. to waver as, like, with the wind. Cf. 3b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)]

haltc825

flecchec1300

waverc1315

flickerc1325

wag1387

swervea1400

floghter1521

stacker1526

to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530

wave1532

stagger1533

to hang in the wind1536

to waver as, like, with the wind1548

mammer1554

sway1563

dodge1568

erch1584

suspend1585

float1598

swag1608

hoverc1620

hesitate1623

vacillate1623

fluctuate1634

demur1641

balance1656

to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674

to stand shall I, shall I1674

to go shill-I shall-I1700

to stand at shilly-shally1700

to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734

whiffle1737

dilly-dally1740

to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751

oscillate1771

shilly-shally1782

dacker1817

librate1822

humdrum1825

swing1833

(to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848

to back and fill1854

haver1866

wobble1867

shaffle1873

dicker1879

to be on the weigh-scales1886

waffle1894

to think twice1898

to teeter on the brink1902

dither1908

vagulate1918

pern1920

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver

flecchec1300

waverc1315

remue1340

shake1340

flitc1386

flow1434

falter1521

flitter1543

to waver as, like, with the wind1548

rove1549

float1598

jarga1614

give ground1662

weaken1876

unbend1877

1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward V f. xiii Not common people onely, whiche wauer with the wynde, but wyse menne also.

1565 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vii. sig. Aavj^v And so corrupt the mindes Of rude vnskilfull common sort, that wauer lyke the wyndes.

1571 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Morall Fabillis (Bassandyne) 87 With that the Cadgear wauering as the wind [?a1500 als wraith as ony wind], Come rydand on the laid.

a1825 Child Noryce i, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1886) II. iv. 266 Child Noryce is a clever young man, He wavers wi the wind.

†c. To hesitate to (do something). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > wish or inclination > unwillingness > be unwilling [verb (intransitive)]

nillOE

loathea1200

to make it tough1297

forthinka1300

reckc1300

ruea1400

to make (it) strangec1405

to make strangenessc1407

stick1418

resistc1425

to make (it) strange?1456

steek1478

tarrowc1480

doubt1483

sunyie1488

to make (it) nice1530

stay1533

shentc1540

to make courtesy (at)1542

to make it scrupulous1548

to think (it) much1548

to make dainty of (anything)1555

to lie aback1560

stand1563

steek1573

to hang back1581

erch1584

to make doubt1586

to hang the groin1587

to make scruple (also a, no, etc., scruple)1589

yearn1597

to hang the winga1601

to make squeamish1611

smay1632

bogglea1638

to hang off1641

waver1643

reluct1648

shy1650

reluctate1655

stickle1656

scruple1660

to make boggle1667

revere1689

begrudge1690

to have scruples1719

stopc1738

bitch1777

reprobate1779

crane1823

disincline1885

1643 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce 34 I shall not much waver to affirm that [etc.].

d. Of a combatant, body of troops, line of battle: To become unsteady, flinch, give way.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > defeat > be defeated [verb (intransitive)] > waver

fremishc1425

reela1470

shake1489

stagger1544

result1587

shog1644

waver1831

1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus xlii He wavered not a step; but, still striding over the body of the king,..maintained his ground.

1860 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) V. xxvi. 213 The sustained fire of the Lanzknechts threw their dense and unorganized masses into rapid confusion. As they wavered, Warwick's horse were in the midst of them.

1915 J. Buchan Nelson's Hist. War IV. xxvi. 75 The line wavered and broke.

6. Of things (or a person as an unconscious agent): To change, vary, fluctuate.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > change [verb (intransitive)] > fluctuate or vary

varyc1369

diversify1481

waver1490

to ring (the) changes1614

fluctuate1655

windmill1694

range1750

vibrate1782

vacillate1835

scale1974

1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos 2 We englysshe men ben borne vnder the domynacyon of the mone, whiche is neuer stedfaste, but euer wauerynge.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxvj Thus the Englishe affaires..within the realme began to wauer, and waxe variable.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xcj^v To suffer this gere to hange waueringe [L. ut rem ita fluctuare sinat].

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Nuto Victorie wauereth or flitteth betweene both vncertaynly.

1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxvii. 407 During the whole space of time just mentioned, Mr. Benjamin Allen had been wavering between intoxication partial and intoxication complete.

1859 G. A. Sala Haunted House: Ghost in Double Room in All Year Round Extra Christmas No., 13 Dec. 14/1 He had..a waistcoat that wavered in hue between a sunny buff and a stony drab.

1922 19th Cent. Apr. 681 Among all Arabs succession is hereditary, but it wavers between the eldest son and the eldest male member of the family.

7. Of the voice, the eye, etc. (or a person with reference to these): To become unsteady; to shake, tremble, falter (through emotion or bodily weakness). †Of the wits: To become confused, reel.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > be or become confused [verb (intransitive)]

wonder1297

confusec1350

maskera1375

studya1375

to annoy of?c1400

muse?c1430

marc1440

manga1450

puzzle1605

dunce1611

quandary1616

wavera1625

wilder1658

to scratch one's head1712

maffle1781

to strike up1844

turn1852

to fall over oneself1889

fuzz1930

to get the lines crossed1973

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)]

hobblec1330

wave1406

stamperc1450

fleet15..

titubate1540

wamble1589

tilt1594

vacillate1598

waggle1611

wimple1819

wangle1820

waver1841

lurch1851

woggle1871

teeter1904

a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim iii. iii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ggggg4^v/1 Keep my wits heaven, I feele 'em wavering, O God my head.

1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xlv. 44 ‘No,’ replied the old man, wavering in his voice, no less than in his manner.

1851 S. Warner Wide Wide World I. xv. 177 Miss Fortune's conscience must have troubled her a little, for her eye wavered uneasily.

1876 R. Broughton Joan I. i. ix. 189 Her voice wavers and breaks. The tears crowd up into her eyes.

1883 A. K. Green X.Y.Z. iv. 65 His eye did not waver from its steady solemn look toward the door.

1886 R. Kipling Departm. Ditties (1888) 45 The white hands wavered—the bright head drooped.

8. Of light, shade, objects seen unsteadily or through a haze: To flicker, quiver.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > vibration > vibrate [verb (intransitive)] > tremble or quiver > esp. of light or sound

tremblec1400

waver1664

thrill1776

1664 R. Boyle Exper. & Considerations Colours iii. xiv. 227 I took..two Tri~angular Glasses, and one of them being kept fixt in the same Posture, that the Iris it projected on the Floor might not Waver.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Gardener's Daughter in Poems (new ed.) II. 25 The shadow of the flowers..wavering Lovingly lower, trembled on her waist..and still went wavering down.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Will Waterproof's Monologue in Poems (new ed.) II. 184 The gas-light wavers dimmer.

1850 G. Cupples Green Hand viii. 90/2 Tall palms and cocoas—their stems wavering in the thin haze.

1914 Blackwood's Mag. Oct. 491/2 A little gleam wavered ahead on my right.

figurative.1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. I. iv. i. 247 It may serve to illustrate..the extent to which, under the Roman empire, men's notions of mechanical relations became faint, wavered, and disappeared, if we observe the change which took place in architecture.

II. Transitive.

†9. causal. To cause to waver; to wave to and fro; to set in waving or fluttering motion; to render unsteady or unsteadfast. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > agitate [verb (transitive)] > cause to flutter or flicker

waverc1425

wear?a1505

flutter1621

flitter1864

wink1883

flicker1903

zither1930

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver

waverc1425

flitc1480

shakec1480

staggera1625

soften1918

c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iii. 798 Þus in seige a sote to se, Or do a dowde in dignyte, Sal ger standande statis stauer, And wil bathe wit and worschep wauer.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 518/2 Waueron, or mevyn or steryn, agito.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 213 Nocht gaynstandand yat he be wauerit jn his wit.

1561 in P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) III. 148 Seeing he..showed himself so constant in religion, that neither the fear of his souereign's indignation could wauer him, nor great promises win him.

1589 E. Hayes in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 683 Item, if the Admirall shall happen to hull in the night: then to make a wauering light ouer his other light, wauering the light vpon a pole.

1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. F2^v A third wauerd and wagled his head, like a proud horse playing with his bridle.

1812 Courier in Examiner 24 Aug. 540/1 Shot, shells, grape,..could not..waver the line of the..infantry.

†10. To vacillate under, falter in resistance to. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver > waver under

waver1596

1596 M. Drayton Mortimeriados sig. B 4^v Th'vnconstant Barrons, wauering euery houre, The fierce encounter of this raging tyde.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	waver
释义	wavern.¹ Brit. /ˈweɪvə/, U.S. /ˈweɪvər/ Forms: Also 1500s wayver, weaver, 1500s–1700s waiver. Etymology: Of obscure origin: the early forms do not favour derivation < wave v. Possibly < waive v.¹, in the sense ‘to leave untouched’. A young tree left standing when the surrounding wood is felled. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > characterized by habitat > [noun] > forest tree > tree left standing standard1473 staddle1543 waver1555 standing1580 sampler1652 stemmer1858 1555 Anc. Deed C 7700 (P.R.O.) The said Luke shall leave..standynge..all suche wayuers of oke and asshe that be vnder the compace of twelue ynches in thycknesse. 1590 W. West Συμβολαιογραϕία ii. §267. sig. Yiiij Except the land and soile of the same woodes and vnderwoodes, and also wayuers called standers of &c. 1595 Holmesfield Court Rolls in S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield (1888) (at cited word) That no persone or persons within this manor shall cutt vpp or carry away any of the lorde's woodes..vpon payne of every burden of greene wood vj d. and every weaver xij d. and every burden of dry wood being hedgwood iiij d. 1597 Holmesfield Court Rolls in S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield (1888) (at cited word) Every weaver or poole. 1664 J. Evelyn Sylva xxvii. 71 It is a very ordinary Copse which will not afford three or four Firsts, that is, Bests; fourteen Seconds; twelve Thirds; eight Wavers, &c. according to which proportions the sizes of young Trees in Copsing are to succeed one another. 1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) I. 322 First shoots up a tender twig, which then becomes a sapling, a waiver, a tellar, and at last a perfect oak laden with acorns. 1800 J. Tuke Gen. View Agric. N. Riding Yorks. (new ed.) 186 Leaving at certain distances, when the timber and under-wood are cut down, the thriving young trees, which so left, are very properly called wavers, from their being agitated by every breeze. 1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online December 2021). wavern.² Brit. /ˈweɪvə/, U.S. /ˈweɪvər/ Etymology: < wave v. + -er suffix¹. †1. One who vacillates. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [noun] > irresolute or vacillating person demurrer1533 hanger1536 staggerer1552 hobbler1575 tennis ball1589 waverer1597 halter1608 suspender1625 waver1667 fluttererc1726 oscillator1798 pendulum1818 shilly-shallyer1832 shilly-shally1834 wobbler1837 hesitater1853 dilly-dallier1880 vacillator1890 haverer1947 1667 E. Waterhouse Short Narr. Fire London 189 No waver in Judgment, have I, through Gods mercy, ever been. 2. One who waves, or causes to undulate, swing, or flutter. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > [noun] > waving, esp. of hand > one who waver1835 1835 T. Mitchell in tr. Aristophanes Acharnians 1059 (note) Groupes of tumblers, jugglers, ball-players, and wavers of the torch. 1861 W. G. Clark in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1860 46 The wavers of flags, and the brandishers of daggers. 1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xiii. 125 The..house-tops..burst into a snow-storm of waving handkerchiefs, and the wavers of the same mingled their cheers with those of the masses below. †3. (With capital initial.) A name for the star Fomalhaut in the constellation Piscis Australis. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > star > kind of star > small star > [noun] > dwarf > Fomalhaut Fomalhaut1546 waver1556 1556 R. Record Castle of Knowl. iv. 267 (margin) The Wauer. 4. Printing. See quots. Also waver roller. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > printing machine or press > parts of printers or presses > [noun] > ink-roller roller1662 composition roller1825 ink-roller1825 rider1878 waver1882 inker1884 ink-cylinder1894 1882 J. Southward Pract. Printing 471 Next set in their places the wavers and the inkers. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 706/1 As the carriage returns, this strip of ink is distributed on the inking table by rollers placed diagonally across the machine. The diagonal position gives them a waving motion; hence they are called wavers. 1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 154 Waver rollers, rollers which distribute ink on the ink table in a diagonal direction. Wavers, short term for ‘waver rollers’. 5. An implement for making the hair wavy. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > implements used in styling the hair > [noun] > curling implement crisping-iron?a1400 bodkin1580 curling-bodkin1610 curling-iron1632 curling-tongs1763 crisping-tongs1773 pinching iron1789 tongs1843 crumpling-irons1854 roulette1860 curler1887 waver1895 permanent waver1916 wand1962 1895 Army & Navy Stores List 15 Sept. 180/2 Hair Wavers..Price per box, containing 5 wavers, 0/8½. 1909 Daily Chron. 1 Oct. 7/4 These wavers may be left in the slightly dampened hair for an hour or two, and the result will be a soft, natural-looking wave. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online December 2021). wavern.³ Brit. /ˈweɪvə/, U.S. /ˈweɪvər/ Etymology: < waver v. The act or condition of wavering. a. In physical sense, a flutter or trembling. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > [noun] > fluttering or flickering > a fluttering or flickering movement flutter1641 waver1826 flicker1857 flit1873 flitter1892 1826 J. Wilson in Blackwood's Mag. 20 90 No a bit butter~flee on its silent waver, meeting the murmur of the straight~forward bee. 1886 F. H. H. Guillemard Cruise Marchesa I. 137 Here and there a little gap revealed a Hobbema-like scene of sunny distance, whose clearness was unbroken by the waver of a single leaf. 1891 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Sydney-side Saxon xii Sitting square, without the slightest waver or tremble in her saddle. 1918 L. Merrick When Love flies iv. 44 She sat watching the waver of the candles in the draught. b. A condition of vacillation or faltering. †in a waver (obsolete), on or upon the waver, in uncertainty or unsteadiness; inclining now this way, now that. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [noun] yea-and-nayc1384 vacillationc1400 titteringa1413 stackeringc1440 wondingc1440 fluctuationc1450 waver1519 mammering1532 uncertainty1548 wavering1548 to and fro1553 suspense1560 staggering1565 suspension1568 mammery1578 demur1581 branle1591 dilly-dally1592 hesitance1601 irresolution1601 uncertainness1601 undecision1611 waveringness1614 hesitancy1617 unsettledness1619 hesitation1622 unresolvednessa1626 doubleness of minda1628 wavinga1628 swagging1636 poise1637 mambling1640 stickagea1647 vacillancy1668 whifflinga1677 hovering1679 unresolve1679 irresoluteness1686 shilly-shally1755 indecisiona1763 undecisiveness1779 indecisiveness1793 oscillation1798 flexility1815 shilly-shallying1842 swaying1850 Hamletism1852 teeter1855 havering1866 off and on1875 dilly-dallying1879 double-mindedness1881 hesitatingness1890 dither1958 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adverb] in a waver1519 uncertainly1555 waveringlya1603 irresolutely1617 unresolvedly1621 off and ona1641 hesitantly1660 humdrum1660 irresolvedly1680 undecisively1771 hesitatingly1800 on or upon the waver1806 indecisively1828 vacillatinglya1849 oscillatively1852 hesitatively1881 shakenly1890 1519 W. Horman Vulgaria v. f. 57^v I stande in doubte or in a wauer. Anceps sum consilii. a1798 J. Palmer Like Master like Man (1811) I. xii. 167 His regret to leave the coppers he touch'd in his present service, and his inclination to embrace the brazier's offer, kept him upon the waver, like an ass between two bundles of hay. 1806 H. Siddons Maid, Wife, & Widow III. 64 His reason was on the waver. 1864 Sherman Let. 31 Dec. (1894) 241 Not a waver, doubt, or hesitation when I order, and men march to certain death without a murmur if I call on them. 1865 Mrs. H. Wood Mildred Arkell xlviii ‘Does she mean to accept him?’ asked Travice. ‘Well, she's on the waver. She does not dislike him, and she does not particularly like him.’ This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online December 2021). waverv. Brit. /ˈweɪvə/, U.S. /ˈweɪvər/ Forms: Also Middle English wever, Middle English Scottish wayver, wafer, Middle English–1500s Scottish vaver, Middle English–1600s Scottish wawer, Middle English wavere, wavur, wafyr, 1500s wavor, Scottish vaifer, 1600s wavour. Etymology: Middle English waver , wever = Middle High German waberên , modern German (now dialect) wabern , webern to move about, Old Norse vafra to move unsteadily, flicker (compare vafrloge flickering flame), Norwegian vavra to go to and fro, stagger; a frequentative < Germanic root waƀ- : see wave v.Shoreham's weverinde* (c1315, sense 5) shows that the word in the south at least is native English (compare Old English wæfre unsteady, also nimble); it is possible that in the north the word may partly represent an adoption of Old Norse vafra, but the supposition is not necessary. I. Intransitive. 1. a. To go about or travel at random or without fixed destination; to wander, rove. Also with adverb, as about. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel from place to place > [verb (intransitive)] > with no fixed aim or wander wharvec890 woreOE wandera1000 rengec1230 wagc1325 roamc1330 errc1374 raikc1390 ravec1390 rumblec1400 rollc1405 railc1425 roit1440 waverc1440 rangea1450 rove1481 to-waver1487 vaguea1525 evague1533 rangle1567 to go a-strayinga1586 vagary1598 divagate1599 obambulate1614 vagitate1614 ramble1615 divage1623 pererrate1623 squander1630 peramble1632 rink1710 ratch1801 browse1803 vagrate1807 bum1857 piroot1858 scamander1864 truck1864 bat1867 vagrant1886 float1901 vagulate1918 pissant1945 c1440 Alphabet of Tales 490 Þai waxed so pure at þai wavurd aboute here & þer. c1480 (a1400) St. Julian 287 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 466 Waferand fra place to place. 1483 Cath. Angl. 411/1 To Wavere Aboute [v.r. Wafyr Abowt], vagari. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vii. 41 The sleuth-hund maid stynting thar, And vaueryt [1489 Adv. waweryt] lang tyme to and fra. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) iv. l. 283 He saw mony rout Off wyld bestis wauerand in wode and playn. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. v. 70 Quha ar vnbereit a hundreth ȝeir man byde, Wauerand and wandrand by this bankis syde. 1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 9 There were two Channels..where through the fishermen did wander and wauer vp to Norwitch, and diuers parts of Suffolke and Norfolke. 1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey i. viii. 63 Michael watched him down the corridor, saw him waver into the dusky street. 1977 D. Francis Risk ii. 20 One of them [sc. the two horses in front] wavered up the straight at a widening angle. The other seemed to be stopping second by second... Tapestry scorched past both of them..and won the Gold Cup. †b. To stray from. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)] > stray or go astray dwelec900 miswendOE to fare astray (misliche, amiss)c1175 to step astray, awry, beside1297 weyec1315 outrayc1330 strayc1330 waivea1375 forvay1390 outwandera1400 stragglea1425 waverc1485 wander?1507 swerve1543 wift?a1560 random1561 estray1572 egar1584 to go a-strayinga1586 to step aside1787 err1819 moider1839 maverick1910 c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) i. 4 He slepit apon his palfray, and wauerit fra his folk out of the hye way. 1599 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1848) II. 204 The said Thomas hes bene accusit of..wavering oftentymes fra his wyff, bairnis, and famelie. 1609 J. Skene tr. Quoniam Attach. in Regiam Majestatem x. 78 Gif..he..sall sweare that, that beast did waver away from him. 2. To sway to and fro, as if in danger of falling; to reel, stagger, totter. Now rare (cf. 5d, 7). ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > totter shake1297 waive1338 wagc1340 falterc1386 waverc1440 branglea1522 totterc1522 wave1538 swerve1573 nod1582 tittera1618 cockle1634 labascate1727 teeter1904 oversway1994 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 447/2 Schoggyn, schakyn or waveryn, vacillo. a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 233 Bot ay his an futt did wawer. He stackeret lyk ane strummall awer. 1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xi. sig. Fij Oza for puttyng his hande to the holy shryne that, was called Archa federis,..though it were wauerynge and in daunger to fall, yet was he stryken of god. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 8266 All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote. 1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 108 When they [sc. the Fins] are cut off, it [sc. the Body of the Fish] wavers to and fro. 1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxxiii. 191 She was evidently in a condition of great suffering, and Tom often heard her praying, as she wavered and trembled, and seemed about to fall down. 3. a. To swing or wave in the air; to float or flutter. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > wave in the wind rotec1330 waive1338 waverc1440 wafterc1450 wave1487 to waver with or in the windc1503 streama1560 flaunt1576 wift1609 fly1659 waff1834 flare1837 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 518/2 Wawyn, or waueryn, yn a myry totyr, oscillo. c1530 A. Barclay Egloges iii. sig. Niij Somtyme must thou stoupe, unto a rude vyllayne Callynge hym mayster,..All yf thou wolde se hym wawer in a bande. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. viii. 18–22 The byrdes fleyng and wauoring in the ayer. 1574 T. Hill Weather in Arte Gardening viii. 72 The kytes playing and wauering about in the aire. 1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. xv. 136 Two Lions came running with their shaggy lockes wauering about their shoulders. 1726 J. Thomson Winter 10 Thro' the hush'd Air, the whitening Shower descends, At first, thin-wavering. 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian v, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 174 He could discern a figure wavering and struggling as it hung suspended above the heads of the multitude. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess vi. 124 On their curls From the high tree the blossom wavering fell. 1864 W. W. Skeat tr. J. L. Uhland Songs & Ballads 252 Lo! down waver clustering ringlets Round a soft and gentle face! 1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 689 Huge butterflies wavered about the cactus plants. b. to waver with or in the wind. ? Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > wave in the wind rotec1330 waive1338 waverc1440 wafterc1450 wave1487 to waver with or in the windc1503 streama1560 flaunt1576 wift1609 fly1659 waff1834 flare1837 c1503 Nutbrown Maid in R. Arnold Chron. f. lxxvi Wythout pytee, hanged to bee, and wauer w^t the wynde. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cccxxxiii. 522 With baners and penons waueryng with the wynde. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xi. f. xiiij^v A rede waveringe with the wynde. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. lxxviii. 158 After this, hee went up and downe, wauering in the winde, tarryeng for the rest of the shippes. 1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxii. 508 Soon fled the soul impure, and left behind The empty corse to waver with the wind. 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 54 Here many an outlaw..had wavered in the wind during the wars. 1828 M. R. Mitford Our Village III. 165 A lank, long, stooping figure, which seemed wavering in the wind like a powder-puff. c. transferred. ΚΠ 1860 N. Hawthorne Transformation II. xiii. 202 Now tumbling down, down, down, with a long shriek wavering after him, all the way! 1876 W. Morris Story of Sigurd ii. 141 The wind in his raiment wavered. †4. Of water, waves: To surge. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > move restlessly about [verb (intransitive)] > run high, surge, or heave flash1387 lifta1400 walterc1400 waverc1425 welter1489 jaw1513 roll?1532 surge1566 billow1596 to run high1598 estuate1658 to run steep1894 roil1913 c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. 1963 As rewaris reythe for rayn wil rysse And wauer mare wiþe wawis woide Þan wil a kyndly standande flude. 5. a. Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] haltc825 flecchec1300 waverc1315 flickerc1325 wag1387 swervea1400 floghter1521 stacker1526 to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530 wave1532 stagger1533 to hang in the wind1536 to waver as, like, with the wind1548 mammer1554 sway1563 dodge1568 erch1584 suspend1585 float1598 swag1608 hoverc1620 hesitate1623 vacillate1623 fluctuate1634 demur1641 balance1656 to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674 to stand shall I, shall I1674 to go shill-I shall-I1700 to stand at shilly-shally1700 to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734 whiffle1737 dilly-dally1740 to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751 oscillate1771 shilly-shally1782 dacker1817 librate1822 humdrum1825 swing1833 (to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848 to back and fill1854 haver1866 wobble1867 shaffle1873 dicker1879 to be on the weigh-scales1886 waffle1894 to think twice1898 to teeter on the brink1902 dither1908 vagulate1918 pern1920 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver flecchec1300 waverc1315 remue1340 shake1340 flitc1386 flow1434 falter1521 flitter1543 to waver as, like, with the wind1548 rove1549 float1598 jarga1614 give ground1662 weaken1876 unbend1877 c1315 Shoreham Poems i. 424 And þi bi-leaue of ihesu crist His nou al weuerinde. c1407 J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte 2901 And thus I stood al in a rage With look cast fix in hir visage, Wavering as in a were. c1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. 4318 He was curyousse in his stille,..Mad in metyr meit his dyte, Litil or noucht neuir þe lesse Wauerande fra þe suythtfastnes. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 18/2 Waueron yn hert for vnstabylnesse, muto. c1440 Gesta Romanorum xxv. 97 Þat he sette fully his hope in god, and not be dul in the feithe, ne wauere in the comavndementes of god. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xii. 185 Mony ane hert sall vaverand [1489 Adv. wawerand] be That semyt ere of gret bounte. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) James i. 6 But let hym axe in faythe and waver not [1611 nothing wauering]. a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. CCxxiii^v That we his yongest chylder..sholde not..wauer in our fayth. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. i. 20, 21 Why art thou vexed? why doest thou wauer in & out? 1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3 And nice affections wauering stood in doubt If best were as it was, or best without. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 43 They that wavered betweene warre and peace. 1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 28 Vertue that wavers is not vertue. 1715 J. Addison Spectator No. 585. ¶8 Her Mind continued wavering about twenty Years longer between Shalum and Mishpach. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 603 While he was thus wavering between projects equally hopeless. 1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iv. 355 The allegiance even of the bishops and the secular clergy to Rome had begun to waver. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People iv. §2. 172 Only on one occasion..did the burgesses waver from their general support of the Crown. 1883 J. A. Froude Short Stud. IV. i. xi. 131 Many people had begun to waver in their allegiance. 1884 M. Creighton Hist. Ess. (1902) viii. 239 For a time opinions wavered which boundary to choose. †b. to waver as, like, with the wind. Cf. 3b. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] haltc825 flecchec1300 waverc1315 flickerc1325 wag1387 swervea1400 floghter1521 stacker1526 to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530 wave1532 stagger1533 to hang in the wind1536 to waver as, like, with the wind1548 mammer1554 sway1563 dodge1568 erch1584 suspend1585 float1598 swag1608 hoverc1620 hesitate1623 vacillate1623 fluctuate1634 demur1641 balance1656 to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674 to stand shall I, shall I1674 to go shill-I shall-I1700 to stand at shilly-shally1700 to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734 whiffle1737 dilly-dally1740 to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751 oscillate1771 shilly-shally1782 dacker1817 librate1822 humdrum1825 swing1833 (to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848 to back and fill1854 haver1866 wobble1867 shaffle1873 dicker1879 to be on the weigh-scales1886 waffle1894 to think twice1898 to teeter on the brink1902 dither1908 vagulate1918 pern1920 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver flecchec1300 waverc1315 remue1340 shake1340 flitc1386 flow1434 falter1521 flitter1543 to waver as, like, with the wind1548 rove1549 float1598 jarga1614 give ground1662 weaken1876 unbend1877 1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward V f. xiii Not common people onely, whiche wauer with the wynde, but wyse menne also. 1565 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) vii. sig. Aavj^v And so corrupt the mindes Of rude vnskilfull common sort, that wauer lyke the wyndes. 1571 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Morall Fabillis (Bassandyne) 87 With that the Cadgear wauering as the wind [?a1500 als wraith as ony wind], Come rydand on the laid. a1825 Child Noryce i, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1886) II. iv. 266 Child Noryce is a clever young man, He wavers wi the wind. †c. To hesitate to (do something). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > wish or inclination > unwillingness > be unwilling [verb (intransitive)] nillOE loathea1200 to make it tough1297 forthinka1300 reckc1300 ruea1400 to make (it) strangec1405 to make strangenessc1407 stick1418 resistc1425 to make (it) strange?1456 steek1478 tarrowc1480 doubt1483 sunyie1488 to make (it) nice1530 stay1533 shentc1540 to make courtesy (at)1542 to make it scrupulous1548 to think (it) much1548 to make dainty of (anything)1555 to lie aback1560 stand1563 steek1573 to hang back1581 erch1584 to make doubt1586 to hang the groin1587 to make scruple (also a, no, etc., scruple)1589 yearn1597 to hang the winga1601 to make squeamish1611 smay1632 bogglea1638 to hang off1641 waver1643 reluct1648 shy1650 reluctate1655 stickle1656 scruple1660 to make boggle1667 revere1689 begrudge1690 to have scruples1719 stopc1738 bitch1777 reprobate1779 crane1823 disincline1885 1643 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce 34 I shall not much waver to affirm that [etc.]. d. Of a combatant, body of troops, line of battle: To become unsteady, flinch, give way. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > defeat > be defeated [verb (intransitive)] > waver fremishc1425 reela1470 shake1489 stagger1544 result1587 shog1644 waver1831 1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus xlii He wavered not a step; but, still striding over the body of the king,..maintained his ground. 1860 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) V. xxvi. 213 The sustained fire of the Lanzknechts threw their dense and unorganized masses into rapid confusion. As they wavered, Warwick's horse were in the midst of them. 1915 J. Buchan Nelson's Hist. War IV. xxvi. 75 The line wavered and broke. 6. Of things (or a person as an unconscious agent): To change, vary, fluctuate. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > change [verb (intransitive)] > fluctuate or vary varyc1369 diversify1481 waver1490 to ring (the) changes1614 fluctuate1655 windmill1694 range1750 vibrate1782 vacillate1835 scale1974 1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos 2 We englysshe men ben borne vnder the domynacyon of the mone, whiche is neuer stedfaste, but euer wauerynge. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxvj Thus the Englishe affaires..within the realme began to wauer, and waxe variable. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xcj^v To suffer this gere to hange waueringe [L. ut rem ita fluctuare sinat]. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Nuto Victorie wauereth or flitteth betweene both vncertaynly. 1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxvii. 407 During the whole space of time just mentioned, Mr. Benjamin Allen had been wavering between intoxication partial and intoxication complete. 1859 G. A. Sala Haunted House: Ghost in Double Room in All Year Round Extra Christmas No., 13 Dec. 14/1 He had..a waistcoat that wavered in hue between a sunny buff and a stony drab. 1922 19th Cent. Apr. 681 Among all Arabs succession is hereditary, but it wavers between the eldest son and the eldest male member of the family. 7. Of the voice, the eye, etc. (or a person with reference to these): To become unsteady; to shake, tremble, falter (through emotion or bodily weakness). †Of the wits: To become confused, reel. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > be or become confused [verb (intransitive)] wonder1297 confusec1350 maskera1375 studya1375 to annoy of?c1400 muse?c1430 marc1440 manga1450 puzzle1605 dunce1611 quandary1616 wavera1625 wilder1658 to scratch one's head1712 maffle1781 to strike up1844 turn1852 to fall over oneself1889 fuzz1930 to get the lines crossed1973 the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] hobblec1330 wave1406 stamperc1450 fleet15.. titubate1540 wamble1589 tilt1594 vacillate1598 waggle1611 wimple1819 wangle1820 waver1841 lurch1851 woggle1871 teeter1904 a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim iii. iii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ggggg4^v/1 Keep my wits heaven, I feele 'em wavering, O God my head. 1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xlv. 44 ‘No,’ replied the old man, wavering in his voice, no less than in his manner. 1851 S. Warner Wide Wide World I. xv. 177 Miss Fortune's conscience must have troubled her a little, for her eye wavered uneasily. 1876 R. Broughton Joan I. i. ix. 189 Her voice wavers and breaks. The tears crowd up into her eyes. 1883 A. K. Green X.Y.Z. iv. 65 His eye did not waver from its steady solemn look toward the door. 1886 R. Kipling Departm. Ditties (1888) 45 The white hands wavered—the bright head drooped. 8. Of light, shade, objects seen unsteadily or through a haze: To flicker, quiver. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > vibration > vibrate [verb (intransitive)] > tremble or quiver > esp. of light or sound tremblec1400 waver1664 thrill1776 1664 R. Boyle Exper. & Considerations Colours iii. xiv. 227 I took..two Tri~angular Glasses, and one of them being kept fixt in the same Posture, that the Iris it projected on the Floor might not Waver. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Gardener's Daughter in Poems (new ed.) II. 25 The shadow of the flowers..wavering Lovingly lower, trembled on her waist..and still went wavering down. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Will Waterproof's Monologue in Poems (new ed.) II. 184 The gas-light wavers dimmer. 1850 G. Cupples Green Hand viii. 90/2 Tall palms and cocoas—their stems wavering in the thin haze. 1914 Blackwood's Mag. Oct. 491/2 A little gleam wavered ahead on my right. figurative.1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. I. iv. i. 247 It may serve to illustrate..the extent to which, under the Roman empire, men's notions of mechanical relations became faint, wavered, and disappeared, if we observe the change which took place in architecture. II. Transitive. †9. causal. To cause to waver; to wave to and fro; to set in waving or fluttering motion; to render unsteady or unsteadfast. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > agitate [verb (transitive)] > cause to flutter or flicker waverc1425 wear?a1505 flutter1621 flitter1864 wink1883 flicker1903 zither1930 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver waverc1425 flitc1480 shakec1480 staggera1625 soften1918 c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iii. 798 Þus in seige a sote to se, Or do a dowde in dignyte, Sal ger standande statis stauer, And wil bathe wit and worschep wauer. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 518/2 Waueron, or mevyn or steryn, agito. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 213 Nocht gaynstandand yat he be wauerit jn his wit. 1561 in P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) III. 148 Seeing he..showed himself so constant in religion, that neither the fear of his souereign's indignation could wauer him, nor great promises win him. 1589 E. Hayes in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 683 Item, if the Admirall shall happen to hull in the night: then to make a wauering light ouer his other light, wauering the light vpon a pole. 1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. F2^v A third wauerd and wagled his head, like a proud horse playing with his bridle. 1812 Courier in Examiner 24 Aug. 540/1 Shot, shells, grape,..could not..waver the line of the..infantry. †10. To vacillate under, falter in resistance to. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver > waver under waver1596 1596 M. Drayton Mortimeriados sig. B 4^v Th'vnconstant Barrons, wauering euery houre, The fierce encounter of this raging tyde. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.¹1555n.²1556n.³1519v.c1315
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