waffle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈwɒf.əl/ (UK); /ˈwɑf.əl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The noun for a batter cake is borrowed from Dutch wafel,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Middle Dutch wāfel,^[2][3][4] related to Old High German waba (“honeycomb”) and to weave.^[3][4][5] The verb meaning “to talk vaguely” is a frequentative of obsolete waff “to yelp”, probably imitative.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

A batter cake baked in a waffle iron (1744, in wafel-frolic, a waffle party).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The sense of honeycomb survives in textile terms for a waffle-like weave (1948).^[3][7] The waffle iron dates from 1794.^[3][4] The verb waffle first meant “to yelp” (1698),^[7][3] then “to talk foolishly” (1701)^[7][3] and, originally in Scottish and northern English, “to vacillate, equivocate” (1803).^[7][4] The noun “empty, verbose talk” is recorded from 1866–88.^[7][3][5]

Timeline

• 1698 – verb, to yelp.^[7][3]
• 1701 – verb, to talk foolishly.^[7][3]
• 1744 – the batter cake.^[7][3][4][5]
• 1794 – waffle iron.^[3][4]
• 1803 – verb, to vacillate.^[7][4]
• 1866 – noun, empty verbiage.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A light, crisp batter cake baked in a hinged waffle iron, which gives it a grid pattern.
2. Vague, wordy or evasive speech or writing.

Verb

1. To speak or write evasively; to equivocate or vacillate.
2. To talk or write at length without saying anything clear; to ramble.

Word family

• waffler
• wafflingly
• waffle iron

Related words

• wafer
• weave
• gaufre

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press