v. & n.
v. 1 intr. walk through water or some impeding medium e.g. snow, mud, or sand. 2 intr. make one's way with difficulty or by force. 3 intr. (foll. by through) read (a book etc.) in spite of its dullness etc. 4 intr. (foll. by into) colloq. attack (a person or task) vigorously. 5 tr. ford (a stream etc.) on foot.
n. a spell of wading. wade in colloq. make a vigorous attack or intervention. wading bird any long-legged water-bird that wades. wadable adj. (also wadeable).
[ OE wadan f. Gmc, = go (through) ]