Bregdan

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A term referring to the act of twisting or turning, especially in the context of a weaving or winding motion
2. Describing a movement characterized by a rotating or spiraling action, often used in relation to textiles or craft
3. Conveying the idea of a dynamic motion involving a change in direction or orientation, particularly applicable to fabric manipulation

Etymology: Old English "bregdan" is a strong verb whose original sense was rapid motion, not weaving. A warrior could "bregdan" a sword, meaning to whip it out or brandish it, and the verb also covered quick, jerking movements of any kind. The idea of plaiting seems to have grown out of that general sense of swift turning and interlacing, which is why the same root shows up in Old Norse "bregða" with both meanings. Modern "braid" descends from this verb through its past forms. Its past participle, "bregden," was reshaped in Middle English into "braiden" and then "braid," and by then the sense had narrowed to plaiting hair, cord, or straw. Your meaning, to twist threads together, is one of the surviving narrow uses, while the older sense of sudden movement has largely disappeared from English.