Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [weyf]
- /weɪf/
- /weɪf/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [weyf]
- /weɪf/
Definitions of waif word
- noun waif a person, especially a child, who has no home or friends. 1
- noun waif something found, especially a stray animal, whose owner is not known. 1
- noun waif a very thin, often small person, usually a young woman. 1
- noun waif a stray item or article: to gather waifs of gossip. 1
- noun waif Nautical. waft (def 8). 1
- noun waif A homeless and helpless person, especially a neglected or abandoned child. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of waif
First appearance:
before 1350 One of the 20% oldest English words
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
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Waif
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
waif popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 80% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
waif usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for waif
noun waif
- stray — to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, especially without a fixed course or purpose; ramble: to stray from the main road.
- soul — the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
- urchin — a mischievous boy.
- orphan — a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.
- ragamuffin — a ragged, disreputable person; tatterdemalion.
Top questions with waif
- what is a waif?
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