waif
Pronunciation: /weɪf/
The English word “waif” has 8 meanings listed here.
noun
- An article of movable property which has been found, and of which the owner is not known, such as goods washed up on a beach or thrown away by an absconding thief; such items belong to the Crown, which may grant the right of ownership to them to a lord of a manor.
- Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance.
- A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast.
- A very thin person, especially a young one.
- A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but not persistently naturalized.
- A small flag used as a signal.
- Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried by wind or water.
verb
Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English weif (“ownerless property subject to seizure and forfeiture; the right of such seizure and forfeiture; revenues obtained from such seizure and forfeiture”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman waif, weif [and other forms] (compare Anglo-Latin waivum [and other forms], Medieval Latin waivium), possibly from Old French waif, a variant of gaif, gayf…
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.