Definition of "waif" in English

noun

1. (British, law, archaic) An article of movable property which has been found, and of which the owner is not known, such as goods washed up on a beach or thrown away by an absconding thief; such items belong to the Crown, which may grant the right of ownership to them to a lord of a manor.

   • waifs and strays

2. Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance.

3. A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast.

4. A very thin person.

5. A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but not persistently naturalized.

verb

1. (transitive) To cast aside or reject, and thus make a waif.

noun

1. (nautical, chiefly whaling, historical) A small flag used as a signal.

noun

1. Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried aloft by the wind.