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waf·fle¹

(wŏfəl)

A light crisp cake made of batter and baked in a waffle iron.

[Dutch wafel, from Middle Dutch wāfel; see webh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

waf·fle²

(wŏfəl) Informal

v. waf·fled, waf·fling, waf·fles

v.intr.

1. To be unable to make a decision; waver: He waffled over whether to ask for a raise.

2. To speak or write evasively: "The secretary waffled when she asked to see the dean" (Rita Mae Brown).

v.tr.

To speak, write, or act evasively about (something).

Evasive or vague speech or writing.

[Probably frequentative of obsolete waff, to yelp, probably of imitative origin.]

waffler n.

waffling·ly adv.

waffly adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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