Obs. Forms: 3–5 weve, 4–5 wefe; pa. t. 3 wefde, weft; pa. pple. 4 y-, i-weved, veved. [Perh. a dial. var. of WAIVE v.2 (a. ON. veifa); possibly repr. an unrecorded OE. *wǽfan = ON. veifa. Cf. BIWEVE v.2 Although disappearing from literary use in ME., the verb appears to have survived in speech, and to be represented in mod. Eng. by WEAVE v.2]
1. intr. Of persons: To go from one place to another; to travel, wander, pass.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 85. Ðenne þe iuele gost fareð ut of þe manne and weueð wide … sechende reste.
c. 1290. Beket, 2053, in S. Eng. Leg., 165. Into þe cloistre of Caunterburi with grete noyse heo comen weue.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 1475. Ȝef he com mid is ost in to þis lond weue.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 318. Þou wylnez ouer þys water to weue.
b. Of things: To go, pass, make way.
c. 1275. Lay., 28049. And ich ig[rap] my gode sweord … and smot of Modred his hefd, þat hit wefde [c. 1205 wond] a [the] felde.
c. 1400. Rowland & O., 545. He hitt hym a-bown appon þe heuede, þat to þe scholdire þe swerde wefede. Ibid., 564. Otuell says ‘my suerde kan schere,’ & in to þe erthe it weuede.
c. To move to and fro; to toss about.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 24839. Þe weder … son bigan to rug and reth, þat ilk wau til oþer weft, And bremli to þo barges beft.
c. 1300. Metr. Hom., 40. But thurt him noht haf tint his heued, Yef he als red [= reed] wald haf weuid.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4368. To cold coles sche schal be brent ȝit or come eue, & þe aschis of hire body with þe wind weue.
2. trans. To move or remove from one place to another; to convey or bring; to strike down.
13[?]. K. Alis., 3807. With his sweord he wolde his heved Fro the body have y-weved [Bodl. MS. yreued].
13[?]. Sir Beues, 954. A leide on wiþ þe bor is heued, Til þat hii were adoun i-weued.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom., 40. Gif me in a disce weued Sain Jon the Baptist heued.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 976. I an-endez þe on þis syde Schal sve [= follow], tyl þou to a hil be veued.
b. To wave or brandish (a weapon). Also absol., to beckon, make signals.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom. (1862), 122. Hir ald fader bird hir lefe, And on hir lemman clep and were. Ibid., 123.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom. (MS. Ashmole 42), fol. 100. Borne he was bothe doumbe & defe and peres on him gon call & wefe.
c. 1350. Libeaus Desc., 544. His brond aboute he weved; All þat he hitte he cleved.
c. 1440. [cf. WEVING vbl. sb. below].
c. ? To toss about, trouble.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 922. Auntrose is þin euel, ful wonderliche it þe weues; wel i wot þe soþe.
3. a. To weve up: to open (a window, a gate): = WAIVE v.2 2. b. To weve off: to throw off (a garment). Cf. WAIVE v.2 4 a.
a. c. 1205. Lay., 19003. Þa cnihtes weoren swide [sic] whæte, and wefden up þa castles ȝæte, & letten hine binnen fare.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 2978. [She] weued vp a window þat was toward þe place.
b. c. 1290. Beket, 951, in S. Eng. Leg., 133. Þo seint thomas hadde is masse i-songue: his chesible he gan of weue.
4. To give (to a person).
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1976. Þe lorde Gawayn con þonk, Such worchip he wolde hym weue. Ibid., 2359. Hit is my wede þat þou werez,… Myn owen wyf hit þe weued, I wot wel for soþe.
Hence † Weving vbl. sb.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 523/2. Wevynge, or mevynge wythe tokne, annutus.
