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waffle - 9 dictionary results

waf⋅fle

1  [wof-uhl]
Use waffle in a Sentence
–noun
1. a batter cake with a pattern of deep indentations on each side, formed by the gridlike design on each of the two hinged parts of the metal appliance (waffle iron) in which the cake is baked.
–adjective
2. Also, waffled. having a gridlike or indented lattice shape or design: a waffle pattern.
Origin:
1735–45; < D wafel

waf⋅fle

2  [wof-uhl] verb, -fled, -fling, noun Informal.
–verb (used without object)
1. to speak or write equivocally: to waffle on an important issue.
–verb (used with object)
2. to speak or write equivocally about: to waffle a campaign promise.
–noun
3. waffling language.
Origin:
1890–95; orig. dial. (Scots, N England): to wave about, flutter, waver, be hesitant; prob. waff + -le

Related forms:
waffler, noun
waf⋅fling⋅ly, adverb
waffly, adjective

waf⋅fle

3  [wof-uhl]
–verb (used without object), -fled, -fling. British.
to talk foolishly or without purpose; idle away time talking.
Origin:
1695–1705; orig. dial. (N England); appar. waff to bark, yelp (imit.) + -le
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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waf·fle 1   (wŏf'əl)   
n.  A light crisp battercake baked in a waffle iron.

[Dutch wafel, from Middle Dutch wāfel; see webh- in Indo-European roots.]
waf·fle 2   (wŏf'əl)   
v.   waf·fled, waf·fling, waf·fles

v.   intr.
To speak or write evasively.
v.   tr.
To speak, write, or act evasively about.
n.  Evasive or vague speech or writing.

[Probably frequentative of obsolete waff, to yelp, probably of imitative origin.]
waf'fler n., waf'fling·ly adv., waf'fly adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Waffle

Waffle\, n. [D. wafel. See Wafer.]

1. A thin cake baked and then rolled; a wafer.

2. A soft indented cake cooked in a waffle iron.

Waffle iron, an iron utensil or mold made in two parts shutting together, -- used for cooking waffles over a fire.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : waffle
Spanish: parlotear, hablar sin decir nada,
German: quasseln,
Japanese: だらだらと話す
More Translations »

waffle  (n.)
1744, from Du. wafel "waffle," from M.Du. or M.L.G. wafel; cognate with O.H.G. waba "honeycomb" (Ger. Wabe) and related to O.H.G. weban, O.E. wefan "to weave" (see weave). Sense of "honeycomb" is preserved in some combinations referring to a weave of cloth. Waffle iron is from 1794.

waffle  (v.)
1698, "to yelp, bark," frequentative of waff "to yelp" (1610); possibly of imitative origin. Figurative sense of "talk foolishly" (1701) led to that of "vacillate, equivocate" (1803), originally a Scottish and northern Eng. usage.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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waffle

crisp raised cake baked in a waffle iron, a hinged metal griddle with a honeycombed or fancifully engraved surface that allows a thin layer of batter to cook evenly and crisply. Baking powder is the typical leavening in American waffles, and yeast waffles are eaten in Belgium and France. In the United States and Canada waffles are a popular breakfast food, topped with butter and maple syrup or fruit preserves. Waffles also can serve as a base for savoury mixtures such as seafood or poultry in sauce. In Belgium waffles are a popular snack food. They are mentioned in French poems from as early as the 12th century, when they were sold as street food at fairs and religious festivals.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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