|
| waif [ wayf ] (plural waifs) |
noun |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. abandoned child: a homeless or friendless person, especially an abandoned child
|
2. stray animal: a stray animal whose owner is unknown
|
3. thin young person: somebody, usually a young person, with a thin fragile appearance who looks needy
|
4. unclaimed item: an item that has been found whose owner is unknown
(
literary
)
|
| [14th century. < Anglo-Norman weyf, earlier gwayf "lost property" < N Germanic] |
|
  waif·like adjective |
|
