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wigwag

[ wig-wag ]
/ ˈwɪgˌwæg /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wigwag

verb (used with or without object), wig·wagged, wig·wag·ging.

to move to and fro.
Nautical. to signal by movements of two flags or the like waved according to a code.

noun

Nautical. the act or process of sending messages by the movements of two flags or the like waved according to a code.
a message so signaled.

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Origin of wigwag

1575–85; wig to wag (now dial.) + wag; gradational compound, parallel to zigzag, etc.

OTHER WORDS FROM wigwag

wigwagger, noun

Words nearby wigwag

Wigman, Wigner, wig out, Wigtown, Wigtownshire, wigwag, wigwam, wiki, WikiLeaked, wikitorial, wikiup
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to wigwag

fly, flap, twirl, swing, wield, brandish, twist, shake, flutter, quiver, stream, reel, quaver, direct, pulse, sign, beckon, seesaw, ripple, gesticulate

Example sentences from the Web for wigwag

British Dictionary definitions for wigwag

wigwag
/ (ˈwɪɡˌwæɡ) /

verb -wags, -wagging or -wagged

to move (something) back and forth
to communicate with (someone) by means of a flag semaphore

noun

  1. a system of communication by flag semaphore
  2. the message signalled

Derived forms of wigwag

wigwagger, noun

Word Origin for wigwag

C16: from obsolete wig, probably short for wiggle + wag 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012