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Waif vs Waiver - What's the difference?

waif | waiver |

As nouns the difference between waif and waiver

is that waif is goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice while waiver is the act of waiving, or not insisting on, some right, claim, or privilege.

As a verb waiver is

misspelling of lang=en.

waif

English

(Webster 1913)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (obsolete) Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice.
  • (obsolete) Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance.
  • A wanderer; a castaway; a stray; a homeless child.
  • * 1912 : (Edgar Rice Burroughs), (Tarzan of the Apes), Chapter 5
  • Tenderly Kala nursed her little waif , wondering silently why it did not gain strength and agility as did the little apes of other mothers. It was nearly a year from the time the little fellow came into her possession before he would walk alone, and as for climbing--my, but how stupid he was!
  • A plant that has been introduced but is not persistently naturalized.
  • See also

    * waft

    waiver

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of waiving, or not insisting on, some right, claim, or privilege.
  • (legal) A legal document releasing some requirement, such as waiving a right (giving it up) or a waiver of liability (agreeing to hold someone blameless). Also used for such a form even before it is filled out and signed.
  • I had to sign a waiver when I went skydiving, agreeing not to sue even if something went wrong.
  • Something that releases a person from a requirement.
  • I needed a waiver from the department head to take the course because I didn't technically have the prerequisite courses.
    I needed a waiver from the zoning board for the house because the lot was so small, but they let me build because it was next to the park.

    Derived terms

    * waivered

    See also

    * ("waiver" on Wikipedia)

    Verb

    (head)
  • See waive.
  • Usage notes

    * Sometimes used in puns involving wavering]] about [[waiver
  • noun, waivers, the noun, especially in newspaper headlines for sports stories.
  • Anagrams

    *