Swaggle

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move back and forth or side to side with an unsteady wavering motion
2. To rock or oscillate in a loose and wobbling manner
3. To shake or wave with a loose, swaying movement

Etymology: "Swaggle" is a dialect verb, recorded mainly in English regional speech, meaning to sway or lurch from side to side, the way a heavy load or a loose-limbed walker moves. Its exact history is uncertain, and dictionaries record it with little early evidence, so any firm date or first use would be guesswork. The most likely source is "swag," an older verb meaning to sway, hang unevenly, or move heavily, which is also the root of "swagger." The ending "-le" is a common English frequentative suffix, found in pairs like "wag" and "waggle" or "dodge" and "dodgle," that turns a basic motion into a repeated, rocking one. That reading fits the sense well, but it is a reconstruction from the parts rather than a documented chain of development, so treat it as the probable explanation rather than settled fact.