*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of weft

From Middle English wefte, from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną. Equivalent to weave + -t (abstract nominal suffix).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The horizontal threads that are interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric. · The yarn used for the weft; the fill. · A hair extension that is glued directly to a person′s natural hair.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English wefte, from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną. Equivalent to weave + -t (abstract nominal suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionwefteenm
  • Derivation mentionwefanang
  • Derivation mention*webangmw-pro
  • Derivation mention*webanągem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wefte"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wefte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wefan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to weave"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English wefan (“to weave”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*weban"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *weban"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*webaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *webaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "weave",
        "3": "t",
        "id2": "th",
        "pos2": "abstract nominal suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "weave + -t (abstract nominal suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wefte",
      "wefte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wefan",
      "wefan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*weban",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/weban"
    ],
    [
      "*webaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/webaną"
    ],
    [
      "weave",
      "weave#English"
    ],
    [
      "-t",
      "-t#English:_th"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The horizontal threads that are interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric.",
        "The yarn used for the weft; the fill.",
        "A hair extension that is glued directly to a person′s natural hair."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative spelling of waif.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Compare waif.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "waif",
      "waif#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of waif."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "obsolete"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for weft →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-d2VmdA