Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Wait
Wait
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Waited
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Waiting
.] [OE. ]
waiten
, OF. waitier
, gaitier
, to watch, attend, F. guetter
to watch, to wait for, fr. OHG. wahta
a guard, watch, G. wacht
, from OHG. wahhēn
to watch, be awake. √134. See Wake
, Verb.
I.
1.
To watch; to observe; to take notice.
[Obs.]
“But [unless] ye
I wot right well, I am but dead,” quoth she.
wait
well and be privy,I wot right well, I am but dead,” quoth she.
Chaucer.
2.
To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart.
All the days of my appointed time will I
wait
, till my change come. Job xiv. 14.
They also serve who only stand and
wait
. Milton.
Haste, my dear father; ’t is no time to
wait
. Dryden.
To wait on
or To wait upon
(a)
To attend, as a servant; to perform services for;
“Authority and reason on her wait.” as, to
. wait on
a gentleman; to wait on
the tableMilton.
“I must wait on myself, must I?” Shak.
(b)
To attend; to go to see; to visit on business or for ceremony.
(c)
To follow, as a consequence; to await.
“That ruin that waits on such a supine temper.” Dr. H. More.
(d)
To look watchfully at; to follow with the eye; to watch.
[R.]
“It is a point of cunning to wait upon him with whom you speak with your eye.” Bacon.
(e)
To attend to; to perform.
“Aaron and his sons . . . shall wait on their priest's office.” Num. iii. 10.
(f)
(Falconry)
To fly above its master, waiting till game is sprung; – said of a hawk.
Encyc. Brit.
Wait
,Verb.
T.
1.
To stay for; to rest or remain stationary in expectation of; to await;
as, to
. wait
ordersAwed with these words, in camps they still abide,
And
And
wait
with longing looks their promised guide. Dryden.
2.
To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany; to await.
[Obs.]
3.
To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
[Obs.]
He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all
His warlike troops, to
His warlike troops, to
wait
the funeral. Dryden.
Remorse and heaviness of heart shall
And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
wait
thee,And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
Rowe.
4.
To cause to wait; to defer; to postpone; – said of a meal;
as, to
. wait
dinner[Colloq.]
Wait
,Noun.
1.
The act of waiting; a delay; a halt.
There is a
wait
of three hours at the border Mexican town of El Paso. S. B. Griffin.
2.
Ambush.
“An enemy in wait.” Milton.
3.
One who watches; a watchman.
[Obs.]
4.
pl.
Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians; not used in the singular.
[Obs.]
Halliwell.
5.
pl.
Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.
[Written formerly
wayghtes
.] Hark! are the
waits
abroad? Beau. & Fl.
The sound of the
waits
, rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mild watches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony. W. Irving.
Webster 1828 Edition
Wait
WAIT
,Verb.
I.
1.
To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary, till the arrival of some person or event. Thus we say, I went to the place of meeting, and there waited an hour for the moderator or chairman. I will go to the hotel, and there wait till you come. We will wait for the mail.2.
To stay proceedings, or suspend any business, in expectation of some person, event, or the arrival of some hour. The court was obliged to wait for a witness.3.
To rest in expectation and patience.All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Job 14.
4.
To stay; not to depart. Haste, my dear father, tis no time to wait.
5.
To stay; to continue by reason of hindrance.6.
To lie in ambush, as an enemy.Such ambush waited to intercept thy way.
To wait on or upon, to attend, as a servant; to perform menial services for; as, to wait on a gentleman; to wait on the table.
To wait on,
1.
To attend; to go to see; to visit on business or for ceremony. Tell the gentleman I will wait on him at ten oclock.2.
To pay servile or submissive attendance.3.
To follow, as a consequence; as the ruin that waits on such a supine temper. [Instead of this, we use await.]4.
To look watchfully.It is a point of cunning to wait on him with whom you speak, with your eye. [Unusual.]
5.
To attend to; to perform.Aaron and his sons shall wait on their priests office. Numbers 3, 8. Romans 12.
6.
To be ready to serve; to obey. Psalm 25. Proverbs 20.To wait at, to attend in service; to perform service at. 1 Corinthians 9.
To wait for, to watch, as an enemy. Job 15.
Definition 2024
wäit
wäit
See also: wait