Waif Definition

wāf
waifs
noun
waifs
A person without home or friends; esp., a homeless child.
Webster's New World
A stray animal.
Webster's New World
Anything found by chance that is without an owner.
Webster's New World
A person, especially a young woman, who is thin or gaunt.
American Heritage
A piece of property found but claimed by nobody.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Waif

Noun

Singular:
waif
Plural:
waifs

Origin of Waif

  • From Anglo-Norman, possibly from Old French guaif (“stray beast"), probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse veif (“flag, waving thing"), from Proto-Germanic *waif, from Proto-Indo-European *weib-, *weip- (“to oscillate, swing").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English ownerless property, stray animal from Anglo-Norman probably of Scandinavian origin weip- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Waif Sentence Examples

  • A waif of a girl sat beside him.

  • The 24-year old supermodel chronicled her battle with anorexia and exercise as she was struggling to survive as a waif thin supermodel in her memoir, "Hungry."

  • While at New York he wrote a play, The Ocean Waif, or Channel Outlaw, which was acted, and is forgotten.

  • The Victorian moral reformer could look with sympathy upon the poverty of the poor waif who stole a loaf of bread.

  • Fortunately, our young waif is taken in by two well-meaning students.

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Words Starting With

WWAWAI

Words Ending With

FIFAIF

Unscrambles

waif

Words Starting With W and Ending With F

Starts With W & Ends With FStarts With WA & Ends With FStarts With W & Ends With IF

Word Length

4 Letter Words4 Letter Words Starting With W4 Letter Words Ending With F