waif
/weɪf/
noun
Origin
Old North French
waif — lost, abandoned, or stray
Overview
Meaning Now
- A homeless, helpless, or neglected person, especially a child.
- Something found, especially a stray animal or object, that has no owner.
- A person who is thin, slight, and delicate in appearance.
Literal older meaning
Something found, especially abandoned property or an unclaimed treasure.
Language path
Old North French → Anglo-Norman → Middle English → English
Earliest form
waif
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term originated in medieval legal terminology as 'waif' or 'waift', referring to goods abandoned by a thief in flight or property with no known owner, which were traditionally forfeited to the lord of the manor. By the 16th century, the term shifted to describe vulnerable, abandoned people.
Evolution
- 12th century
waif
“stray animal or unclaimed property”
Used in legal Anglo-Norman.
- 14th century
waif
“abandoned or unclaimed chattel”
- 16th century
waif
“a stray person or abandoned child”
Semantic broadening from property to persons.
Connections
Word parts
waif
root
abandoned
Related across languages
Old Northern French
stray
Old English
wafian
to wave, flicker (often erroneously associated)
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Related to waif
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.