| Germ. | weifen | to swing |
| ON | veifa | vibrate |
| ON | veif | something flapping about |
| Franç. | vif | lively, animated, brisk |
| Franç. | vivre | to live: be able to move |
| Gael.S. | fafan | soft breeze |
| Roman. | fofeazâ | sail of windmill |
| Roman. | fofengher | morning star (scintillates) |
| ON | vaif | movement to and fro |
| Engl. | waif | abandoned child |
| ON | vafla | to hover about |
| Engl.Scot. | waff | puff of air |
| Engl.reg. | waffle | to wave about; to flap in the wind; to walk hesitantly; a person unsteady in gait |
| Engl.: Nhb | waffler | Green Sandpiper, 172 (from its irregular flight) |
| Germ.reg. | bochschwafl | White Wagtail, 313 |
| Germ.reg. | swäfelk | White Wagtail, 313 |
| Germ.reg. | schweif | tail |
| Germ. | schweifel | doubt; (dial.) tail |
| Goth. | sweifla | turn around |
| ON | svifa | to swing, dangle, soar |
| Icel. | swifa, sweifla | to turn in circles |
| Germ.(OHG) | sweifan | to swing |
| Engl.(o.liter.) | swifan | to move in course |
| Engl. | swift | Swift, 321. Other name swing-devil. As in other languages, the Swift is often named after its vacillating manner of flying, not from its speedy flight |
| Engl.reg. | sea-swift | Shearwater, 111 (also from its tilting flight) |
| Engl. (archaic) | sweven | vision, dream (no phonetic connexion to Lat. somnus or Gr. hypnos) |