different between wai vs waif

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa?/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Thai ???? (wâi, “a gesture of thanks”).

Noun

wai (plural wais)

1. A Thai greeting wherein the palms are brought together in front of the face or chest, sometimes accompanied with a bow.

Translations

Etymology 2

Phonetic respelling of why.

Adverb

wai (not comparable)

1. (Internet slang) why (a purposeful misspelling)

Anagrams

• IAW, WIA

'Are'are

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. fresh water (clear liquid H?O)

Antonyms

• ?si (“salt water”)

References

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Aka-Bea

Adverb

wai

1. indeed

References

• Edward Horace Man, A Dictionary of the South Andaman (Aka-Bea) language (1923)

Arosi

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Arthur Capell, Arosi grammar (1971), page 59: [Possessives of the] first and second persons precede the noun, whereas all others follow it, e.g. gugua wai, my drinking water, but wai 'ana, his drinking water.
• Sidney Herbert Ray, A Comparative Study of the Melanesian Island Languages (2014), page 481: wai "water"

Buli (Indonesia)

Numeral

wai

1. eight

References

• G. Maan, Proeve van een Bulische spraakkunst (1951)

Central Tagbanwa

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai (Tagbanwa spelling ??)

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Robert A. Scebold, Central Tagbanwa: A Philippine Language on the Brink of Extinction : Sociolinguistics, Grammar, and Lexicon (2003)

Duri

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Language Documentation Training Center, Linguistic Society of Hawaii, Duri wordlist

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Central Pacific *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

Gothic

Romanization

wai

1. Romanization of ????????????

Hadza

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa?i/

Determiner

wai ?

1. all (used with a possessive suffix)

Related terms

• waiko
• waina

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?vaj/, [???j]
• (rapid speech) IPA^(key): [???j]

Noun

wai

1. fresh water

Related terms

• kai
• waiwai

References

• William Churchill (1911) The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced
• “wai” in the Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and Enlarged Edition, University of Hawaii Press, 1986

Japanese

Romanization

wai

1. R?maji transcription of ??

Kambera

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wài

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Marian Klamer, A Grammar of Kambera

Kapingamarangi

Etymology

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

Laboya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wa?i]

Noun

wai

1. chin

References

• Allahverdi Verdizade (2019) , “wai”, in Lamboya word list, Leiden: LexiRumah

Lamaholot

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Kunio Nishyama, Herman Kelen, A Grammar of Lamaholot, Eastern Indonesia: The Morphology and Syntax of the Lewoingu Dialect (2007)
• ABVD

Lau

Noun

wai

1. water

See also

• kafo

References

• Joel Bradshaw, Word order change in Papua New Guinea Austronesian languages (1982), page 126
• Walter George Ivens, Grammar and vocabulary of the Lau language, Solomon Islands (1921), page 55

Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wai/
• Rhymes: -ai, -i

Noun

wai (Jawi spelling ????, plural wai-wai, informal 1st possessive waiku, impolite 2nd possessive waimu, 3rd possessive wainya)

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

   Synonyms: alir, alur, batang, bengawan, ci, kali, sungai

References

• "wai" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, ?ISBN, 2005.
• “wai” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mamasa

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• David F. Matti, Mamasa Pronoun Sets (1994)

Mamuju

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Kari K. Stromme, Person Marking in the Mamuju Language (1994)

Mandarin

Romanization

wai (Zhuyin ???)

1. Pinyin transcription of ????

wai

1. Nonstandard spelling of w?i.
2. Nonstandard spelling of w?i.
3. Nonstandard spelling of wài.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Maori

Etymology 1

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)
2. liquid

Derived terms

• hauwai
• wai m?ori
• waitoreke

Etymology 2

Compare Tahitian vai.

Pronoun

wai

1. who?

References

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)
• “wai” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori-English, English-Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, ?ISBN.

Masiwang

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• ABVD

Middle English

Noun

wai

1. Alternative spelling of way

Nauete

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)

Neko

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Transnewguinea.org, citing McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970)
• J. Bullock, R. Gray, H. Paris, D. Pfantz, D. Richardson, A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Yabong, Migum, Nekgini, and Neko (2016)

Omba

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Catriona Hyslop, The Lolovoli Dialect of the North-East Ambae Language: Vanuatu (2001)
• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Oroha

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• W. G. Ivens, A Study of the Oroha Language, Mala, Solomon Islands, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, volume 4, number 3 (1927), page 610

Owa

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Greg Mellow, A Dictionary of Owa: A Language of the Solomon Islands

Palu'e

Noun

wai

1. woman

References

• Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Pitjantjatjara

Interjection

wai

1. hey

Pukapukan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fai, from Proto-Oceanic *pa?i, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pa?ih, from Proto-Austronesian *pa?iS.

Noun

wai

1. stingray (venomous ray of the orders Rajiformes and Myliobatiformes)

Hyponyms

• wai kave
• wai lepu

Further reading

• Te Pukamuna | Pukapuka Dictionary

Raga

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pawley, Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic (2007, ?ISBN

Sa'a

Noun

wai

1. water

Alternative forms

• wei
• wäi

Further reading

• ABVD 1, 2, 3, 4 (wai)
• ABVD (wäi)
• Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pawley, Meredith Osmond (editors), The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: The physical environment, Pacific Linguistics, 545-2 (Australian National University, Canberra, 2003), page 58 (wei)

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian wei,

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /va?i/

Noun

wai m (plural do Wege)

1. way

References

1. Dr. Fort, Marron, Dät Näie Tästamänt un do Psoolme in ju aasterlauwersfräiske Uurtoal fon dät

Seelterlound, Fräislound, Butjoarlound,Aastfräislound un do GroningerUmelounde

Sikaiana

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Siroi

Noun

wai

1. arm, hand

Further reading

• Johannes A. Z'Graggen, The Madang-Adelbert Range Sub-Phylum (1975), page 602
• Sjaak van Kleef, Siroi - English dictionary, English - Siroi dictionary (2007), page 10

Tae'

Etymology

From Proto-South Sulawesi *wai, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• ABVD

Tangoa

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *wai?, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wai?, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahi?.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H?O)

References

• Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pawley, Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic (2007, ?ISBN

Torres Strait Creole

Noun

wai

1. (eastern dialect) a coconut embryo

Synonyms

• musu (western dialect)

Usage notes

Wai (eastern dialect) or musu (western dialect) is the first stage of coconut growth. It is followed by giru (eastern dialect) or musu koknat (western dialect).

Viti

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Waima'a

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)

Waropen

Noun

wai

1. Alternative form of ghai

References

• The Linguistic Situation in the Islands of Yapen, Kurudu, Nau and Miosnum, New Guinea (1961)

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /we?f/
• Rhymes: -e?f

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Late Middle English weif (“ownerless property subject to seizure and forfeiture; the right of such seizure and forfeiture; revenues obtained from such seizure and forfeiture”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman waif, weif [and other forms] (compare Anglo-Latin waivum [and other forms], Medieval Latin waivium), possibly from Old French waif, a variant of gaif, gayf (“property that is lost and unclaimed; of property: lost and unclaimed”) (Norman) [and other forms], probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”), from Proto-Germanic *waif-, from Proto-Indo-European *weyb-, *weyp- (“to oscillate, swing”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Noun

waif (plural waifs)

1. (Britain, law, archaic) Often in the form waif and stray, waifs and strays: an article of movable property found 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.
2. (figuratively)
   1. Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance.
   2. A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vagabond
   3. (by extension) A very thin person.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:thin person

      Antonyms: see Thesaurus:fat person

   4. (by extension, botany) A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but is not persistently naturalized.

Derived terms

• waifish
• waifishly
• waifishness
• waiflike

Related terms

• waive

Translations

Verb

waif (third-person singular simple present waifs, present participle waifing, simple past and past participle waifed)

1. (intransitive) To be cast aside or rejected, and thus become a waif.

Translations

Etymology 2

Possibly from Old Norse veif (“flag; waving thing”); see further at etymology 1.

Noun

waif (plural waifs)

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

Related terms

• waff
• waft
• wheft

Translations

Etymology 3

Origin unknown; possibly related to the following words:

• waff (“waving movement; gust or puff of air or wind; odour, scent; slight blow; slight attack of illness; glimpse; apparition, wraith; of the wind: to cause (something) to move to and fro; to flutter or wave to and fro in the wind; to produce a current of air by waving, to fan”) (Northern England, Scotland), a variant of waive (etymology 2) or wave (see further at those entries).
• Middle English wef, weffe (“bad odour, stench, stink; exhalation; vapour; tendency of something to go bad (?)”) [and other forms], possibly a variant of either:
  • waf, waif, waife (“odour, scent”),, possibly from waven (“to move to and fro, sway, wave; to stray, wander; to move in a weaving manner; (figuratively) to hesitate, vacillate”), from Old English wafian (“to wave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *web?- (“to braid, weave”); or
  • wef (“a blow, stroke”), from weven (“to travel, wander; to move to and fro, flutter, waver; to blow something away, waft; to cause something to move; to fall; to cut deeply; to sever; to give up, yield; to give deference to; to avoid; to afflict, trouble; to beckon, signal”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Old English wefan (“to weave”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *web?- (“to braid, weave”)), or from -w?fan (see bew?fan, ymbw?fan).

Noun

waif (plural waifs)

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

Translations

References

Further reading

• waif and stray on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Middle English

Noun

waif

1. Alternative form of weif