> > I wonder further whether Lat. <vi:verra> 'ferret' belongs with
> > purported deformations of PIE *wer-wer-, or originated with the
> > same *h1eigWern- vel sim., with initial /w/ acquired from <vi:vus>
> > 'alive' (sc. 'vigorous') by folk-etymology. This can drive a man
> > nutty.
>
> This won't work for Balto-Slavic *waiweri- 'squirrel', however.
>
http://ordnet.dk/ods/ordbog?select=v%C3%A6ver,2&query=V%C3%A6ver
Dan. væver "agile, flying about", older vever, viver, vivver, (h)vibber, related to Eng. wawer etc
The same word is used for several types of bird, but here interpreted as "weaver", because of their nests
http://ordnet.dk/ods/ordbog?select=V%C3%A6ver,1&query=V%C3%A6ver
http://runeberg.org/svetym/1268.html
'väva, fsv. væva (ipf. plur. vÄvo; jfr
ipf. vÅf hos Linné o. Celsius 1774 samt
i vissa dial. t. ex. i Vgtl. o. sup. väfvit
t. ex. hos Runeberg) = isl. vefa, da.
væve, mlty. weven, fhty. weban (ty.
weben), ägs. wefan (eng. weave), st. vb,
även: fläta, spinna, röra sig fram o.
tillbaka (fhty.). Härtill kausativbildningen
wabjan = fsv. væfia, isl. vefja, svepa,
hölja, mlty. weffen, väva, fläta, knyta,
ägs. webbian, väva. Därjämte: germ.
*waβÅn = no. vava, veckla om. Ieur.
rot webh (osv.) i grek. (h)yphainÅ,
väver, sanskr. urna-vÄbhi- m., spindel,
egentl.: ullvävare; jfr isl. ko,ngurváfa,
spindel, motsv. sv. dial. kang-, kångro
m. m. ds. (första leden möjl. till finska
lånordet kangas, väv, i vilket fall kångro
betyder âvävvävareâ), sannol.
eufemistiska omskrivningar (se spindel 1).'
"Sanskr. urna-vÄbhi- m. "spider",
lit.: wool-weaver; cf Icel. ko,ngurváfa,
"spider", corr. Sw. dial. kang-, kångro
i.a. id. (first elem. possibly to the Finn.
loanword kangas "web", in which case kångro
means "web-weaver"),..."
from *gWaNgw-, and loan into Finnish instead?
Now suppose weaving came from binding fishing nets, where did that again come from? Right, from observing what spiders do.
Torsten