| n. | 1. | |
| 1. | (Eng. Law.) 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. | |
| 2. | Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance. | |
| 3. | A wanderer; a castaway; a stray; a homeless child. |
| Noun | 1. | waif - a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned; "street children beg or steal in order to survive" Synonyms: street child |