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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

wait

/weɪt/
To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.

    Etymology graph

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    Origin

    From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, waitier (compare French guetter from Old French gaitier, guaitier), from Frankish *wahtwēn (“to watch, guard”), derivative of Frankish *wahtu (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Germanic *wahtwō (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”).

    Cognate with Old High German wahtēn (“to watch, guard”), German Low German wachten (“to wait”), Dutch wachten (“to wait, expect”), French guetter (“to watch out for”), Saterland Frisian wachtje (“to wait”), West Frisian wachtsje (“to wait”), North Frisian wachtjen (“to stand, stay put”). More at watch.

    In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (“to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare”), from Old Norse veita (“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (“to show, guide, advise, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”).

    Largely overtook native Middle English biden, from Old English bīdan, source of bide.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*weǵ- “to be lively”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishwaiten
      • derivedAnglo-Normanwaiter
      • derivedOld Norseveita “to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”
        • derivedProto-Germanic*waitijaną “to show, guide, advise, direct”
          • derivedProto-Indo-European*weyd- “to know; to see”
            • inheritedProto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁- “to do, put, place, set”
              • derivedProto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁tis “deed, action”

    Related: French guetter, Old French gaitier, Old High German wahtēn, German Low German wachten, Dutch wachten, Saterland Frisian wachtje, West Frisian wachtsje, North Frisian wachtjen

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
    2. To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
    3. To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
    4. To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
    5. To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
    6. To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
    noun
    1. A delay.
    2. An ambush.
    3. One who watches; a watchman.
    4. Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.
    5. Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.
    intj
    1. Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: wait