waif
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waif¹
- /weɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -eɪf
Where it comes from
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 (“property that is lost and unclaimed; of property: lost and unclaimed”) (Norman) [and other forms], probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”), from Proto-Germanic *waif-, from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun waifs
- 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. waifs and strays
- 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.
But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him?
Similar: bum, stiff, casual, clochard, derelict, dero, down-and-out, down-and-outer, drifter, epithite, floater, gadling
-
A very thin person, especially a young one.
When we had done all the things there were to do, he passed out and I clung to his reassuringly solid, soft stomach—paternal, so different to the indie waifs—and cried.
Similar: thin person · Opposite: All are derogatory unless otherwise labeled, butterball, chod, chodder, chubbs, chubster, chunker, chunky monkey, elephant, fat, fatfuck, fatso
- A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but not persistently naturalized.
verb waifs · waifing · waifed
- To cast aside or reject, and thus make a waif. It is true that Guy, Count of Ponthieu, holds fief under me, but I have no control over the laws of his realm. And by those laws, he hath right of life and death over all stranded and waifed on his coast.
waif²
- /weɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -eɪf
Where it comes from
Possibly from Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”); see further at etymology 1.
noun waifs
- A small flag used as a signal. [page 440] The allusion to waifs and waif-poles in the last chapter but one, necessitates some account of the laws and regulations of the whale fishery, of which the waif may be deemed the grand symbol and badge. […] [page 441] [A] fish is technically fast when it bears a waif, or any other recognis
waif³
- /weɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -eɪf
Where it comes from
Origin unknown; possibly related to the following words:
* waff (“waving movement; gust or puff of air or wind; odour, scent; slight blow; slight attack of illness; glimpse; apparition, wraith; of the wind: to cause (something) to move to and fro; to flutter or wave to and fro in the wind; to produce a current of air by waving, to fan”) (Northern England, Scotland), a variant of waive (etymology 2) or wave (see further at those entries).
* Middle English wef, weffe (“bad odour, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
** waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”), possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”); or
** wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”)), or from wǣfan (see bewǣfan, ymbwǣfan).
noun waifs
- Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried by wind or water. Hot as the brackish waifs of yellow spume That shift and steam — loose clots of arid fume From the sea's panting mouth of dry desire; There stands he, like one labouring at a loom.
WAIF⁴
Where it comes from
A humorous reinterpretation of waif as an initialism for why am I famous?
noun WAIFs
- A minor celebrity whose fame is unwarranted or undeserved. Tamara was one of the original wild-child tribe - up to now, famous mainly for being famous. She has done a quantity of high-profile dabbling in modelling, acting, television and journalism (file under MAW - Model, Actress, Whatever - or WAIF - Why Am I Famous?)
Translations
Every language
noun article of movable property found of which the owner is not known
| Deutsch | herrenloses Gut |
|---|---|
| Italiano | ritrovamento |
| Tiếng Việt | vật vô chủ |
| العربية | سَائِبَة sāʔiba |
noun something found, especially if without an owner
| Español | hallazgo, bien mostrenco |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Fundstück, Fundsache |
| Русский | нахо́дка naxódka, поте́рянная вещь potérjannaja veščʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | vật vô chủ |
noun person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support
| 中文 | 流浪儿 Liúlàngér |
|---|---|
| Français | vagabond |
| Deutsch | Heimatloser, heimatlose Person, heimatloses Kind |
| Italiano | naufrago, randagio, trovatello, vagabondo |
| Русский | беспризо́рник besprizórnik, беспризо́рница besprizórnica |
| Tiếng Việt | trẻ bơ vơ, trẻ bị bỏ rơi |
Talk about this word "waif." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/waif. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. waif. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/waif "waif." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/waif.Cite this
@misc{waif_2026,
title = {waif},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/waif},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
