Unnumbered source etymology
Original entry ↗To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air. · To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float. · To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon.
A light breeze. · Something (such as an odor or perfume) that is carried through the air. · A flag used to indicate wind direction or, with a knot tied in the center, as a signal; a waif, a wheft. · A loose noncommittal shot, usually played to a ball pitched short of length and well wide of the off stump.
From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (“to wave”) and Icelandic váfa (“to fluctuate, waver, doubt”).
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These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
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]
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"To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.",
"To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.",
"To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon."
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"Something (such as an odor or perfume) that is carried through the air.",
"A flag used to indicate wind direction or, with a knot tied in the center, as a signal; a waif, a wheft.",
"A loose noncommittal shot, usually played to a ball pitched short of length and well wide of the off stump."
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