From Middle English weven (“to weave”), from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, braid”).
Cognates
Cognate with North Frisian weev, weew, weewe (“to weave”), Saterland Frisian weeuwe (“to weave”), Dutch weven (“to weave”), German weben (“to weave”), Luxembourgish wiewen (“to weave”), Yiddish וועבן (vebn, “to weave”), Danish væve (“to weave”), Faroese veva (“to weave”), Icelandic vefa (“to weave”), Norwegian Bokmål veve (“to weave”), Norwegian Nynorsk veva, veve (“to weave”), Swedish väva (“to weave”).
Meanings
A type or way of weaving.
Although fabrics of complex weave can most surely be identified as being imports, others, including a vast array of simple fabrics—bedding, table linens, everyday clothing fabrics—could have been made on either side of the Atlantic, since the materials and equipment were the same. 1979, Kax Wilson, A History of Textiles, Westview Press, →ISBN, page 239:
That rug has a very tight weave.
Human or artificial hair worn to alter one's appearance, either to supplement or to cover the natural hair.
The physician should evaluate for a history of tight ponytails, buns, chignons, braids, twists, weaves, cornrows, dreadlocks, sisterlocks, and hair wefts in addition to the usage of religious hair coverings. 2021, Becky S. Li, Howard I. Maibach, Ethnic Skin and Hair and Other Cultural Considerations, page 154:
ga fíochán (a type or way of weaving) · sh ткање (a type or way of weaving) · el ύφανση (a type or way of weaving) · te అల్లిక (a type or way of weaving) · sv väv (a type or way of weaving) · ga fí (a type or way of weaving) · mk пе́рика (human or artificial hair worn) · pt costura (a type or way of weaving) · ja 編み方 (a type or way of weaving) · hi बुनाई (a type or way of weaving) · mk ткае́нина (a type or way of weaving) · cy gwehyddiad (a type or way of weaving) · fi sidos (a type or way of weaving) · fr tissu (a type or way of weaving) · no vev (a type or way of weaving) · it tessuto (a type or way of weaving) · sh tkanje (a type or way of weaving) · bg перука (human or artificial hair worn) · es tejido (a type or way of weaving) · nl weefsel (a type or way of weaving) · fi peruukki (human or artificial hair worn) · ckb چنین (a type or way of weaving) · bg тъкан (a type or way of weaving) · fr armure (a type or way of weaving) · fi hiuslisäke (human or artificial hair worn) · tl lala (a type or way of weaving) · te నేత (a type or way of weaving) · pt aplique (human or artificial hair worn) · mk тка́ење (a type or way of weaving) · de Webart (a type or way of weaving)
From Middle English weven (“to weave”), from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to weave, braid”).
Cognates
Cognate with North Frisian weev, weew, weewe (“to weave”), Saterland Frisian weeuwe (“to weave”), Dutch weven (“to weave”), German weben (“to weave”), Luxembourgish wiewen (“to weave”), Yiddish וועבן (vebn, “to weave”), Danish væve (“to weave”), Faroese veva (“to weave”), Icelandic vefa (“to weave”), Norwegian Bokmål veve (“to weave”), Norwegian Nynorsk veva, veve (“to weave”), Swedish väva (“to weave”).
Meanings
(transitive) To form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another.
Eugene "Uncle Onio" Punzal has lived on Kauai his whole life. He began weaving coconut fronds when he was a young child after seeing traditional weavers selling their pāpales (a traditional style of crownless hat) and baskets to tourists on the beach. 2026, Rebecca Fox, “Weaving with Aloha”, in Handwoven, volume XLVII, number 1, page 80:
This loom weaves yarn into cloth.
(transitive) To spin a cocoon or a web.
Spiders weave beautiful but deadly webs.
(transitive) To unite by close connection or intermixture.
these words, thus woven into song 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza CII:
This weaves itself, perforce, into my business. c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
(transitive) To compose creatively and intricately; to fabricate.
to weave the plot of a story
According to the simple meaning, these verses warn against forgetting the Torah and against idol worship, but our Sages wove them into an Aggadic passage which deals with physical danger in order to say: Jews must protect their physical health. 2024, David Golinkin, “Is Body Piercing Permitted According To Jewish Law”, in Responsa in a Moment, volume 4, page 193:
nci ihquiti (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pyu tenun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fr tisser (to spin a cocoon or a web) · fur urdî (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pl pleść (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sv spinna (to spin a cocoon or a web) · kk тоқу (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cy gwau (to spin a cocoon or a web) · nl weven (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · nv atłʼó (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · jv nenun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cmn 織 /织 (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pt tecer (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · la texō (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mbb rara (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sq tjerr (to spin a cocoon or a web) · th สาน (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mba ngabul (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · et kuduma (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · el υφαίνω (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · okn 織ゆん (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ca tramar (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mba lala (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lv aust (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cv тӗрт (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sq ngërthej (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · txb wāp- (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · hi बुनना (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ja 織る (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sc tèssere (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · udm куыны (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · vec tèssare (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · xug 織ん (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · es tejer (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · qu away (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fur tiessi (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mi raranga (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lo ຕ່ຳ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · csm čý·l- (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · uz toʻqimoq (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · no veve (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mk тка́е (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · gl tecer (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · be спле́сці (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cy gwau (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ca ordir (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pt tecer (to spin a cocoon or a web) · mi whatu (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · msk lara (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · vi đan (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · uk тка́ти (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sh тка̏ти (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ast texer (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ba туҡыу (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lt austi (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sk tkať (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · koi кыны (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lo ທໍ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · hi बुनना (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · gl tecer (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ko 짜다 (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cmn 編織 /编织 (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · frr weewe (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · kw gwia (to spin a cocoon or a web) · crh toqumaq (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · no spinne (to spin a cocoon or a web) · cmn 編 /编 (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · my ရက် (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tk dokamak (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mbb havel (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ru сотка́ть (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · oc téisser (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tl habi (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · gd figh (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · da væve (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · de weben (to spin a cocoon or a web) · bg тъка́ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · rm tesser (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · id menenun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cu тъкати (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mk пле́те (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ttt baftən (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sk tkať (to spin a cocoon or a web) · hu sző (to spin a cocoon or a web) · cy gweu (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ru плести́ (to spin a cocoon or a web) · sh tkȁti (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cy gweu (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · el υφαίνω (to spin a cocoon or a web) · mt niseġ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · dsb tkaś (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ca teixir (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ru ткать (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · be ткаць (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · bo བཏགས (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tt тукырга (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ota طوقومق (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ja 張る (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ru ткать (to spin a cocoon or a web) · mg tenona (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · bg вплитам (to spin a cocoon or a web) · da spinde (to spin a cocoon or a web) · gd figh (to spin a cocoon or a web) · kaw tĕnun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cs tkát (to spin a cocoon or a web) · rap hatu (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · et kude (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · nn veva (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ar نَسَجَ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fr tisser (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sk pliesť (to spin a cocoon or a web) · yi וועבן (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · alt тогор (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · th ทอ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mvi 織ㇲ゙ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it tramare (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tft tino (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · be пле́сці (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lv aust (to spin a cocoon or a web) · rup tsas (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sl tkati (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lb wiewen (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fi kutoa (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ur بونا (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it intrecciare (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ota طوقومق (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ru сплести́ (to spin a cocoon or a web) · an teixir (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ms tenun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ru плести́ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · kw gwia (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · as বোৱা (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fi punoa (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · xto wäp- (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · eo teksi (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · io texar (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it intessere (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · bn বুনা (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ug توقۇماق (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mn нэхэх (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mi rangaranga (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tg бофтан (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ba үреү (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ckv tumnun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it tessere (to spin a cocoon or a web) · az hörümək (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fo spinna (to spin a cocoon or a web) · az toxumaq (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cs tkát (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · rys 織るん (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sc tèssiri (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · uk плести́ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · yi וועבן (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ml നെയ്യുക (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · es entretejer (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ro țese (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mr विणणे (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ky токуу (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ka ქსოვა (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pwn tjenun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · hu sző (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · de weben (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tr dokumak (to spin a cocoon or a web) · sa वयति (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ja 編む (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · rm taisser (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · os уафын (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ceb hablon (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · hi बुनाई (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · tr dokumak (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · no veve (to spin a cocoon or a web) · yag yatana (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ru сотка́ть (to spin a cocoon or a web) · he ארג (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sk prepletať (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ru сплести́ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · pl tkać (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · he טווה (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ryu 織ゆん (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · hy հյուսել (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sv väva (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · izh kuttoa (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lo ຖັກ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · kjg ຕາໟ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · mr विणणे (to spin a cocoon or a web) · is vefa (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · km ត្បាញ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · th ชักใย (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ga figh (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ryn 織るり (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · th ถัก (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · grc ὑφαίνω (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · es tejer (to spin a cocoon or a web) · fa بافتن (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it tessere (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · bg сплитам (to spin a cocoon or a web) · ca teixir (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fo veva (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · sq thur (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · ssf tnun (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · cy gwehyddu (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · vi dệt (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · it ordire (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · fi kutoa (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · rm teisser (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another) · lo ສານ (to form something by passing strands of material over and under one another)
From Middle English weven (“to wander”); probably from Old Norse veifa (“move around, wave”), related to Latin vibrare.
Meanings
(intransitive) To move by turning and twisting.
The victims’ feeling of incredulity at what they were seeing, swiftly turning to paralysing fear as the van bore down on them, swerving and weaving to hit as many people as possible, can barely be imagined. 2017 August 20, “The Observer view on the attacks in Spain”, in The Observer:
Tevez picked up a throw-in from the right, tip-toed his way into the area and weaved past three Wolves challenges before slotting in to display why, of all City's multi-million pound buys, he remains their most important player. 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:
The drunk weaved into another bar.
(transitive) To make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side.
The ambulance weaved its way through the heavy traffic.
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread:
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drank the milk of Paradise. 1797, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Kubla Khan: Or A Vision in a Dream”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray, […], by William Bulmer and Co. […], published 1816, →OCLC, page 58:
(intransitive, of an animal) To move the head back and forth in a stereotyped pattern, typically as a symptom of stress.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
weaving
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
weaved
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
weaved
Tense=Past
lexicographic
weaves
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
Translations (19)
es serpentear (to move by turning and twisting) · es zigzaguear (to move by turning and twisting) · fr se faufiler (to move by turning and twisting) · sl vijugati (to move by turning and twisting) · fr se frayer un chemin (to move by turning and twisting) · ja 縫う (to move by turning and twisting) · ru заворачивать (to move by turning and twisting) · no sno seg gjennom (to move by turning and twisting) · mi whēangaanga (to move by turning and twisting) · fi mutkitella (to move by turning and twisting) · fr serpenter (to make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side) · vi đánh võng (to make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side) · pt costurar (to make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side) · sq dredh (to move by turning and twisting) · fi kiemurrella (to move by turning and twisting) · fi puikkelehtia (to move by turning and twisting) · no traversere (to move by turning and twisting) · no kjøre sikksakk (to move by turning and twisting) · mi peapeau (to make (a path or way) by winding in and out or from side to side)