Wove is the past tense of weave, which means to create fabric or material by interlacing threads, strips, or strands together. When someone wove a basket, they crossed thin strips of reed or willow over and under each other in a pattern until they formed a sturdy container. When a weaver wove cloth on a loom, they threaded horizontal strands (called the weft) through vertical strands (called the warp) to create fabric.

For thousands of years, people wove cloth by hand before machines took over the work. Ancient Egyptians wove linen, while medieval Europeans wove wool and silk into tapestries. Today, most fabric is woven by industrial machines, but artisans still practice traditional hand-weaving.

The word also describes creating something by combining different elements. A novelist might have woven multiple storylines together into one book. A musician might have woven different melodies together to create a complex symphony. When someone wove through traffic on their bicycle, they threaded their way between cars, moving in and out like a strand being woven through fabric.