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wait |
4 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Wait \Wait\, v. 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. wahh[=e]n to watch, be awake. [root]134. See {Wake}, v. i.] 1. To watch; to observe; to take notice. [Obs.] ``But [unless] ye 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. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Wait \Wait\, n. [OF. waite, guaite, gaite, F. guet watch, watching, guard, from OHG. wahta. See {Wait}, v. i.] 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. {To lay wait}, to prepare an ambuscade. {To lie in wait}. See under 4th {Lie}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Wait \Wait\, v. t. 1. To stay for to rest or remain stationary in expectation of to await; as to wait orders Awed with these words in camps they still abide, 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 wait the funeral. --Dryden. Remorse and heaviness of heart shall 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.] From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: wait n 1: time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action" [syn: {delay}, {hold}, {time lag}, {postponement}] 2: the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him" [syn: {waiting}] v 1: stay in one place and anticipate or expect something "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets" 2: wait before acting [syn: {hold off}, {hold back}] 3: look forward to the probably occurrence of: "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted" [syn: {expect}, {look}, {await}] 4: wait on tables; serve as a waiter; in restaurants "I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's"
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