I. ˈwāf noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old North French, adjective, lost, unclaimed, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse veif flapping or waving thing, veifa to wave — more at wipe
1.
a.
(1) : a piece of property (as something washed up by the sea or a stray animal) whose owner cannot be found — often used in the expression waifs and strays
(2) : the right (as of the lord of the manor in medieval law) to such property
b. waifs plural : stolen goods thrown away by a thief in his flight claimable by the king or by the lord of the manor if the king has granted him franchise of waif but recoverable by the owner if he prosecutes the thief to conviction
2.
a. : something found without an owner ; especially : something that comes along by chance : a stray bit
a waif of travel lore from the mysterious Orient — J.L.Lowes
b. : a stray person or animal (as a homeless child or a lost sheep) : vagrant
street waifs … were fed — New York Times
a lonely waif of a cat — Richard Lockridge
II. adjective
1. chiefly Scotland : vagrant
2. chiefly Scotland : circulating, current — used of a report or rumor
heard a waif word … that you were a hard man to drive — R.L.Stevenson
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse veif waving thing
1. : a small flag or other device set to mark the position and establish prior right to the floating body of a harpooned whale
2. : waft 4
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to mark or signal the position of (as a harpooned whale) with a waif