I. ˈwāt verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French waiter, guaiter to watch over, await, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch, Old English wæccan to watch — more at wake
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to stay in place in expectation of : await
wait ed the result of the advertisement — W. M. Thackeray
wait your turn
2. : to delay serving (a meal)
3. : to serve as waiter for
wait tables
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to remain stationary in readiness or expectation
wait for a train
b. : to pause for another to catch up — usually used with up
2.
a. : to look forward expectantly
just wait ing to see his rival lose
b. : to hold back expectantly
wait ing for a chance to strike
3. : to serve at meals — usually used in such phrases as wait on tables or wait on table
4.
a. : to be ready and available
slippers wait ing by the bed
b. : to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized
the chores can wait
•
- wait on
- wait up
Usage:
American dialectologists have evidence showing wait on (sense 3) to be more a Southern than a Northern form in speech. Handbook writers universally denigrate wait on and prescribe wait for in writing. Our evidence from printed sources does not show a regional preference; it does show that the handbooks' advice is not based on current usage
settlement of the big problems still waited on Russia — Time
I couldn't make out…whether Harper was waiting on me for approval — E. B. White
the staggering bill that waited on them at the white commissary downtown — Maya Angelou
One reason for the continuing use of wait on may lie in its being able to suggest protracted or irritating waits better than wait for
for two days I've been waiting on weather — Charles A. Lindbergh
the boredom of black Africans sitting there, waiting on the whims of a colonial bureaucracy — Vincent Canby
doesn't care to sit around waiting on a House that's virtually paralyzed — Glenn A. Briere
Wait on is less common than wait for, but if it seems natural, there is no reason to avoid it.
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English waite watchman, observation, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a hidden or concealed position — used chiefly in the expression lie in wait
b. : a state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy
anchored in wait for early morning fishing — Fred Zimmer
2.
a. : one of a band of public musicians in England employed to play for processions or public entertainments
b.
(1) : one of a group who serenade for gratuities especially at the Christmas season
(2) : a piece of music by such a group
3. : an act or period of waiting
a long wait in line