I. ˈwä-fəl, ˈwȯ- noun
Etymology: Dutch wafel, from Middle Dutch wafele; akin to Old High German waba honeycomb, Old English wefan to weave
Date: 1744
: a crisp cake of batter baked in a waffle iron
II. intransitive verb
( waf·fled ; waf·fling -f(ə-)liŋ)
Etymology: frequentative of obsolete woff to yelp, of imitative origin
Date: 1868
1. : equivocate , vacillate
waffled on the important issues
also : yo-yo , flip-flop
2. : to talk or write foolishly : blather
can waffle …tiresomely off the point — Times Literary Supplement
• waf·fler -f(ə-)lər noun
III. noun
Date: circa 1888
: empty or pretentious words : tripe