Wigley

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin, or the name of a small village or locality in England
2. Refers to a family name of English origin, and also to a place name in England
3. A proper name borne by many English families, and also used for a small English settlement

Etymology: "Wigley" is an adjective meaning full of wiggles, bends, or twists. It is built on the verb "wiggle" with the common English adjective suffix "-y," the same ending that turns "sand" into "sandy" or "wind" into "windy." Because the word is a plain derivation, its interest lies mainly in that process: a verb describing a quick side-to-side motion becomes a description of anything that looks or moves that way, from a snake's track to a line drawn by an unsteady hand. Wigley is less common than its close relative "wiggly," and dictionaries generally treat the two as variants of one formation.