wriggelen

Wriggelen is a Dutch verb meaning to move the body or a body part with small, twisting or writhing motions. The term is typically used to describe movements that are not smooth or straight, such as a worm wriggling or a person shifting in place due to discomfort. It can refer to both animals and humans, and it is also used in metaphorical language to convey restlessness, evasiveness, or tentative behavior.

In usage, wriggelen describes physical motion that involves bends, turns, or contortions rather than simple linear movement. Common contexts include descriptions of animals like worms or caterpillars, as well as people who are physically fidgeting or trying to free themselves from a tight position. The word can appear in everyday speech, literature, and journalism when a more precise term for twisting motion is required.

Grammatically, wriggelen is an -en verb in Dutch and follows the standard conjugation pattern of regular verbs in that class. The infinitive ends with -en, and the present and past tenses are formed similarly to other verbs with regular endings, though exact forms vary with subject and tense.

Etymology traces the word to the wider Germanic language family, with cognates in related languages that describe twisting or twisting-like motion. The concept of wriggling is common across Indo-European languages, often used to convey small, irregular movements of both living organisms and objects.

See also: wriggle, squirm, wiggle.