| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024waif /weɪf/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- a homeless child:caring for orphans and waifs.
- a stray animal.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024waif (wāf ),USA pronunciation n. - a person, esp. a child, who has no home or friends.
- something found, esp. a stray animal, whose owner is not known.
- a stray item or article:to gather waifs of gossip.
- Nauticalwaft (def. 8).
- Scandinavian; compare Old Norse veif movement to and fro; see waive
- Anglo-French, origin, originally lost, stray, unclaimed (compare Old French guaif stray beast)
- Middle English 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: waif /weɪf/ n - a person, esp a child, who is homeless, friendless, or neglected
- anything found and not claimed, the owner being unknown
- another name for waft
- obsolete a stolen article thrown away by a thief in his flight and forfeited to the Crown or to the lord of the manor
Etymology: 14th Century: from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old Northern French gaif, of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse veif a flapping thingˈwaifˌlike adj |