weave1
/wiːv
/verb (past wove /wəʊv/; past participle woven /ˈwəʊv(ə)n/ or wove) [with object]
1Form (fabric or a fabric item) by interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them: textiles woven from linen or wool (as noun weaving) cotton spinning and weaving was done in mills (as adjective woven) woven shawls...
- Where privacy is a concern, invest in lighter curtain fabrics such as lightly woven linens or cottons that have a high degree of translucence.
- Call me lazy, but I don't really want to grow my own cotton, spin my own thread, weave my own cloth, and sew a shirt out of it.
- Cloth is woven from wild silk and from locally grown cotton.
Synonyms
entwine, lace, work, twist, knit, interlace, intertwine, interwork, intertwist, interknit, twist together, criss-cross, braid, twine, plait
1.1Interlace (threads) so as to form fabric: some thick mohairs can be difficult to weave...
- The cloth was very strange; it was like moss and leaves that had been somehow woven together.
- She stood frozen, gazing at the sheer beauty of the dress, each thread intricately woven to create perfection.
- Unfortunately, the only source of material for clothing is human hair, which can be woven into clothing.
2Make (a complex story or pattern) from a number of interconnected elements: he weaves colourful, cinematic plots...
- These individuals have vivid imaginations, love to weave stories and tales, and are prone to exaggeration.
- It will come in handy later in the movie when we begin to wonder just exactly where the real person fits into the complex story woven around her.
- She has woven a complex narrative of hope and danger in the city that was destined to be the beacon of the New South.
Synonyms
invent, make up, fabricate, put together, construct, create, contrive, spin;
tell, recount, relate, narrate, unfold
2.1 (weave something into) Include an element in (such a story or pattern): interpretative comments are woven into the narrative...
- He is often seen as a painter of delicate interiors, but look again, says Sarah Whitfield, and the tension of his domestic life is woven into the dense patterns of his paintings.
- Somehow throughout my childhood I have taken on this simple traditional superstition, accepted it and have woven it into the workings of my own life.
- By weaving her cultural heritage into the fabric of her music, Shakira has introduced her audience to a new world - one she is proud of as it defines who she is.
noun
1 [usually with adjective] A particular style or manner in which something is woven: cloth of a very fine weave...
- Now, though all the traditional weaves, styles and colour are there, we have to take them forward.
- There are roses, leopards and paisleys, reds, golds and indigos, fine weaves and coarse weaves.
- It appeared to have one more cloth under the heavier top cloth of thick high-quality fine weave, but was smooth and slippery like silk.
2A hairstyle created by weaving pieces of real or artificial hair into a person’s existing hair, typically in order to increase its length or thickness: trailers show him with dyed blond hair and, in one scene, a flowing blond weave...
- Well, I don't have a weave.
- Don't weigh down a weave with heavy products like gels or moisturizing lotions, or by adding too much hair.
- It's not just black women who love to wear a weave.
Origin
Old English wefan, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek huphē 'web' and Sanskrit ūrṇavābhi 'spider', literally 'wool-weaver'. The current noun sense dates from the late 19th century.
English has two words spelled weave. The one meaning ‘twist from side to side’ probably comes from Old Norse veifa ‘to wave, brandish’. The other one is Old English and comes from an ancient root shared by Sanskrit ūrnavābhi ‘spider’, or literally ‘wool-weaver’. Web is a related word, first recorded in about ad 725. The World Wide Web was first mentioned in writing in 1990, in a paper by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau, who are credited with its invention.
Rhymes
weave2
/wiːv/verb [no object]
1Twist and turn from side to side while moving somewhere in order to avoid obstructions: he had to weave his way through the crowds...
- During this he drove through red traffic lights, forced other vehicles to brake to avoid collisions, weaved in and out of traffic, and reached 85 mph.
- Cars swerved this way and that to avoid them as they weaved in and around the traffic.
- Horns blare as cars weave to avoid horse-drawn carts.
Synonyms
thread (one's way), wind (one's way), work (one's way), dodge, move in and out, swerve, zigzag, criss-cross
1.1Take evasive action in an aircraft, typically by moving it from side to side.We just put the nose down and went weaving and skidding in a dive, passing over the breakwater of Cherbourg at about 400 feet....
- Radar controls fired their guns, and if we didn't turn constantly, weaving about, we'd be shot down within a minute or less.
- If you miss him coming in, you can shoot him as he recovers from his attack if you keep weaving.
1.2(Of a horse) repeatedly swing the head and forepart of the body from side to side (considered to be a vice).Special grilles can be put over the stable door to restrict the movement of the head and neck when the horse is standing with his head over the stable door, but some horses weave inside the stable....
- When a horse weaves he is basically walking in place, swaying his front and neck from side to side repetitively.
- Of course she used to pace up and down the paddocks when she was turned out, too, but she didn't weave in the field.
Phrases
get weaving
Origin
Late 16th century: probably from Old Norse veifa 'to wave, brandish'.