wait

See also: Wait and wäit

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, waitier (compare French guetter from Old French gaitier, guaitier), from Frankish *wahtwēn (“to watch, guard”), derivative of Frankish *wahtu (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Germanic *wahtwō (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”). Cognate with Old High German wahtēn (“to watch, guard”), German Low German wachten (“to wait”), Dutch wachten (“to wait, expect”), French guetter (“to watch out for”), Saterland Frisian wachtje (“to wait”), West Frisian wachtsje (“to wait”), North Frisian wachtjen (“to stand, stay put”). More at watch.

In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (“to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare”), from Old Norse veita (“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (“to show, guide, advise, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”).

Largely overtook native Middle English biden, from Old English bīdan.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /weɪt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /weɪt/, [weɪ̯ʔt]
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪt
  • Homophone: weight

Verb

wait (third-person singular simple present waits, present participle waiting, simple past and past participle waited)

  1. (transitive, now rare) To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
    to wait one’s turn
    • 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      Awed with these words, in camps they still abide, / And wait with longing looks their promised guide.
    • 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 30:
      The Court had assembled, to wait events, in the huge antechamber known as the Œil de Boeuf.
  2. (intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
    Wait here until your car arrives.
  3. (intransitive, stative, US) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
    She used to wait in this joint.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
    • 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all / His warlike troops, to wait the funeral.
    • 1714, Nicholas Rowe, The Tragedy of Jane Shore:
      Remorse and heaviness of heart shall wait thee, / And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
  5. (obsolete) To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
  6. (obsolete, colloquial) To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
    • 1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina, Broadview, published 2004, page 185:
      Montague Thorold, who impatiently watched her wherever she went, came to tell her that his mother waited breakfast for her.
  7. (obsolete, except in phrases) To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait
  8. (intransitive) To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.
    • 1957, Dagny Taggart, Francisco d'Anconia, Ayn Rand's, Atlas Shrugged:
      She did not question him. Before leaving, she asked only, "When will I see you again?" He answered, "I don't know. Don't wait for me, Dagny. Next time we meet, you will not want to see me."
    • 1974, The Bee Gees, Night Fever:
      I will wait / Even if it takes forever / I will wait / Even if it takes a lifetime

Usage notes
  • In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from wait (verb)

Translations
transitive: delay until — see await

Noun

wait (plural waits)

  1. A delay.
    I had a very long wait at the airport security check.
  2. An ambush.
    They lay in wait for the patrol.
  3. (computing) Short for wait state.
  4. (obsolete) One who watches; a watchman.
  5. (in the plural, obsolete, UK) Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.
    • 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XVII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
      […] as he returned home to his owne house, the waits should sound the hautboies all the way
  6. (in the plural, UK) Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [formerly waites, wayghtes.]

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

wait

  1. (informal) Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment.
    Wait. Stop talking for a moment while I get my head straight.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse hvítr, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz. Cognate with Swedish vit.

Adjective

wait

  1. white

Gothic

Romanization

wait

  1. Romanization of 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍄

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English white.

Adjective

wait

  1. white
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