The core verb 'wiggle' entered Middle English from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch, likely related to words like 'wiggelen' meaning 'to wobble' or 'to totter'. It is part of a family of expressive Germanic words describing unsteady, back-and-forth motion, possibly with an onomatopoeic or imitative quality. The addition of the '-ing' suffix, a productive grammatical element in English since Old English times, transforms it into an adjective or noun describing the state or action of performing such a motion. Thus, 'wiggling' directly captures the lively, oscillating movement implied by its root.

The word 'wiggling' is a modern English formation from the verb 'wiggle' (of Middle Low German or Middle Dutch origin) + the present participle suffix '-ing' (from Old English '-ende', '-inge').