waddle

Meanings

Noun

• A squat, swaying gait.

Verb

• To walk with short steps, tilting the body from side to side.

Origin

• From Middle English *wadlen, frequentative form of waden, equivalent to wade + -le. Compare Old High German wadalōn ("to roam; wander"), Middle High German wadelen, wedelen, German wedeln ("to waggle").
• First known use in English in a version of the Song of Roland around the year 1400. (Source:OED online)