waif

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waif¹

(wāf)

a. A homeless person, especially a forsaken or orphaned child.

b. An abandoned young animal.

2. A person, especially a young woman, who is thin or gaunt.

3. Something found and unclaimed, as an object cast up by the sea.

[Middle English, ownerless property, stray animal, from Anglo-Norman, probably of Scandinavian origin; see weip- in Indo-European roots.]

waif²

(wāf)

n. Nautical

See waft.

[Probably of Scandinavian origin; see weip- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

waif

(weɪf)

1. (Sociology) a person, esp a child, who is homeless, friendless, or neglected

2. anything found and not claimed, the owner being unknown

3. (Nautical Terms) nautical another name for waft⁵

4. (Law) law obsolete a stolen article thrown away by a thief in his flight and forfeited to the Crown or to the lord of the manor

[C14: from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old Northern French gaif, of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse veif a flapping thing]

ˈwaifˌlike, ˈwaifish adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

waif

(wāf),
n.

1. a person, esp. a child, who has no home.

2. a stray animal, whose owner is not known.

3. a stray item or article.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, orig. lost, stray, unclaimed (compare Old French guaif stray beast) < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse veif movement to and fro; see waive]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

waif - a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned; "street children beg or steal in order to survive"

street child

child, kid, minor, nipper, tiddler, youngster, tike, shaver, small fry, nestling, fry, tyke - a young person of either sex; "she writes books for children"; "they're just kids"; "`tiddler' is a British term for youngster"

waif

noun stray, orphan, outcast, urchin, foundling an emaciated waif living rough on the streets

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

شارِد، شَخْص أو حَيَوان ضال

hjemløst barn

verlassenes obdachloses Kind

lelenc

umkomuleysingi; munaîarleysingi

randagio trovatello

benamis vaikas

bezpajumtnieks

gatebarn hjemløst barn

kimsesiz çocuk

流浪儿

waif

[weɪf] N (= child) → niño/a m/f abandonado/a, niño/a m/f desamparado/a; (= animal) → animal m abandonado
waifs and strays (= children) → niños mpl abandonados or desamparados; (= animals) → animales mpl abandonados

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

waif

[ˈweɪf] n → gamin(e) m/f des rues
waif-like → au physique de gamin(e) des rues

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

waif

n → obdachloses or heimatloses Kind; (= animal) → herrenloses Tier; the poor little waif … → das arme kleine Ding, hat kein Zuhause, …; waifs and strays (= children) → obdachlose or heimatlose Kinder pl; (= animals) → herrenlose Tiere pl

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

waif

[weɪf] n → bambino/a abbandonato/a; (slight person) → creatura gracile
waifs and strays → trovatelli mpl

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

waif

(weif) noun

a stray, uncared-for child. a poor little waif.

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