Wait word meaning and definition

[noun] the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him"
[noun] time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"
[verb] look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted"
[verb] wait before acting
[verb] wait on tables; serve as a waiter; in restaurants"I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's"
[verb] stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets"

\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. {To wait on} or {upon}.
(a) To attend, as a servant; to perform services for; as, to wait on a gentleman; to wait on the table. ``Authority and reason on her wait.'' --Milton. ``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\, 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.]
\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}.

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