wigwag

[wig-wag]

See more synonyms for wigwag on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of wigwag

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

Related formswig·wag·ger, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for wigwag

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

Examples from the Web for wigwag

Historical Examples of wigwag

The pole which had been used to convey the wigwag signals was now out of sight.
Boy Scouts in the Philippines
G. Harvey Ralphson
If it be a Graycoat, it will answer with the same, the wigwag: "I'm a Squirrel, too."
Bannertail
Ernest Thompson Seton
Unlike the "wigwag" system, the whole letter is shown at once.
A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee"
Russell Doubleday
After parleying for a while, one of the landing party was seen to wigwag.
A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee"
Russell Doubleday
The signal outfit consists of the International Code, Navy numerals and wigwag flags.
Jersey City and its Historic Sites
Harriet Phillips Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for wigwag

wigwag

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 Formswigwagger, 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