waferer 
waferert (wa'fer-er). M. [< ME. waferer, v>a- 
frere; < wafer + -*rl.] A maker or seller of 
wafers, either for the table or for eucharistic 
use. See wafer. Waferere (of l)oth sexes, compare 
ux^fer-ipoman) appear to have been employed as go-be- 
tweens in intrigues, probably from the facilities offered 
by their going from house to house. 
Syngeres with hai'pes, baiides, wafereres 
Wliiche been the verray develes officeres 
To kindle and blowe the fyrof [lecheryel- 
Chaucer^ Pardoner's Tale, 1. 17. 
wafer-iron (wa'fer-i'em), «. [< Kafer + iron. 
Cf. waffle-irou.'i A contrivance in which wa- 
fers are baked, its chief part is a pair of thin blades 
between which the paste is held while it is exposed to 
heat 
waferstert, ». [ME. wafrestre, waiifrestre ; < 
wafer + -ster.'\ A woman who makes or sells 
wafers ; a female waferer. 
" Wyte god," quath a ira/regtre, "wist Ich the sothe, 
Ich wolde no forther a fot for no freres prechlnge. " 
Piers Plowman (C), vilL 28.5. 
wafer-tongs (wa'fer-tdngz), H. Same as wafer- 
iron. 
Kalie the ura/er-tong» hot over the hole of a stove or clear 
Are. Worlahop Receipts, 2d ser., p. 166. 
wafer-womant ( wa'fer-wum'an), H. A woman 
who sold wafers. Compare waferer. 
Twas no set meeting certainly, for there was no wafer- 
teoman with her these three days, on my knowledge. 
Beau, and Ft., Woman-Hater, ii. I. 
waferyl (wa'f^r-i), a. [< wafer + -yl.] Like 
a wafer : as, a wafery thinness, 
wafery^t (wa'fer-i), h. [Early mod. E. wafrie; 
< wafer + -y^ (see -ery).'] Wafers collectively ; 
pastry; cakes. 
The tartes, wafrie, and iounkettes, that wer to be semed 
and to com in after the meat. 
J. Cdall, tr. of Apnphthegms of Erasmus, p. 192. (,Dameg.) 
waff' (wat), r. [A var. of ware^, affected by 
waft, c] An obsolete form of wave^. 
waffl(waf),n. [<waffl,v. Cf. waft, n.'i 1. The 
act of waving. Jamitson. — 8. A hasty motion. 
Jamieson. — 3. A slight stroke from any soft 
body. Jamieson. — 4. A sudden or sliglit ail- 
ment: as, a waff o' cauld. Jamieson. — 6. A 
spirit or ghost. Halliwell. [Obsolete or pro- 
vincial in all uses.] 
waff 2 (wAf ), I'. ». [Also waugh; a var. of iroj)".] 
To bark. [Prov. Eng.] 
The elder folke and well growne . . . barked like bi^'ge 
dogges ; but the children and little ones ^caughed as small 
whelpes. ffottond, tr. of Camden, II. 1S8. (Dariei.) 
waff'', waf (w4f ), a. [See waij, «.] Worthless; 
low-born; inferior; paltry. [Scotch.] 
Is it not an oddlike thing that ilka waf carle In the 
coantry has a son and heir, and that the house of Elian- 
gowan is without male succession? 
Scott, Ony Mannering, xixix. 
waffle' (wof'l), M. [= G. waffel = Dan. taffel = 
8w. vdffla, < D. and LQ. wafel, wafer : see wa- 
fer.'] A particular kind of batter cake baked 
in waffle-irons and served hot. 
We sat at tea in Armstrong's family dining-room ; . . . 
the waitress passed out and in, bringing plates of xcafiet. 
The Century, .\XVI. -mi. 
waffle- (wof'l), r. I.; pret. and pp. waffitd, ppr. 
waffling. [Freq. of ir«_^'l.] To wave; fluc- 
tuate. Halliwell. [Prov. Eug.] 
waffle* (wof'l), I'.i. [Freq.of irn/2.] To bark 
iiii'fssantly. Wright. [Prov. Eng.] 
waffle-iron (wofl-i'^m), n. [= D. wafel-ijzer 
= CJ. waffcl-eisen ; as waffle + iron. Cf. wafer- 
iron."\ An iron utensil ifor baking waflles over 
a fire, having two flat halves hinged together, 
one to contain the batter, the other to cover it. 
V.^....^- 
— - ■- j;:^ 
S-'Vir K ■-;=■" 1-^ 
^^k 
' 
)Ij 
WiOk-lnM, 
The Iron hH handles »r pnjeetlails by which <t is readily 
turned, iiringiiiK eaih side near tke III* alternately. The 
batter is i|uickly lookid, •• ths large heating-surface is 
Increased hy iwnjections which afod the Irons and indent 
the waffle. 
.^he took down the long-handl«d waffi*-irmu, and made 
a plate of those delicious cates. 
E. Er/gteiUm, Tbe Onyaons, xxxi. 
Wafonret, n. An old spelling of wafer. 
waft fwaft), r. [A secondary form of wave, 
through the pp. waved, > waft, pp. : see leate^. 
6799 
Cf. »p«r/l.] I. in trans. To be moved or to pass 
in a buoyant medium; float. 
The face of the waters wafting in a storm so wrinkles 
itself that it makes upon its forehead furrows. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836), II. 81. 
High on the summit of this dubious cliff 
Deucalion wafting moor'd liis little skiff. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., i. 432. 
n. trans. 1. To bear through a fluid or buoy- 
ant medium; convey tlirough or as through 
water or air. 
Neither was it thought that they should get any passage 
at all (to Dordract] till the ships at Middleborougli were 
returned into our kingdome, by the force whereof they 
might be the more strongly wafted ouer. 
Hakluyt's Voyages, I. 175. 
Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul, 
And waft a sigh from Indus to the Pole. 
Pope, Eloisa to Abelard, 1. 58. 
2t. To buoy up; cause to float; keep from 
sinking. 
Whether cripples and mutilated persons, who have lost 
the greatest part of their thighs, will not sink but float, 
their lungs being abler to waft up their bodies, ... we 
have not made experiment. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., iv. 6. 
3t. To give notice by something in motion; 
signal to, as by waving the hand ; beckon. 
One do I personate of Lord Timon's frame. 
Whom Fortune with her ivory hand wafts to her. 
Shak., T. of A., i. 1. 70. 
4t. To cast lightly and quickly; turn. 
I met him 
With customary compliment ; when he. 
Wafting his eyes to the contrary, and falling 
A lip of much contempt, speeds from me. 
Shak., W. T., i. 2. 37-2. 
waft (waft), H. [< waft, r.] 1. The act of one 
who or that which wafts; a sweep; a beckon- 
ing. Also spelled weft. 
There have already been made two wefts from the ward- 
er's turret, to intimate that those in the castle are im])a- 
tient for your return. Scott, Ablx)t, xxix. 
And the lonely seabird crosses 
With one tcaft of the wing. 
Tennyson, I'he Captain. 
2. That which is blown ; a breath ; a blast ; a 
puff. 
D' ye hear, trumpets, when the bride appears, salute 
her with a melancholy waft. Vanbrngti, jEsop, v. 1. 
A waft of peace and calm, like a breeze from paradise, 
fell upon Malvulti's heart. 
J. II. Shorthonse. John Inglcsant, xxxv. 
3. A transient odor or effluvium. [Obsolete or 
Scotch.] 
The vestal flres were perpetual, and the fire of tbe altar 
never went out. Spices and u-efts of these evils may be 
found in the sincerest Chrtstians. 
Rec. S. Ward, Sermons and Treatises, p. 7.5. 
A strumpet's love will have a traft i' th' end, 
Antl distaste the vessel. 
Middleton, Mad World, iv. 3. 
4. Xaut., a signal displayed from a shij) by 
hoisting a flag rolled up lengthwise with one or 
more stops. Before the establishment of a universal 
system of signals, a waft at the flagstaff signified a man 
overboard, at the peak it iTidicated a wish to speak, and 
at a masthead it was used to recall boats. Also diulec- 
tally weft and erroneously wheft. 
wattage (waf'taj), «. [< u-aft + -fiije.'i The 
act of wafting, or the state of being wafted ; 
conveyance or transportation through or over 
a buoyant medium, as air or water; especially, 
passage by water. 
A ship you sent me to, to hire waftage. 
Shalc.C. of E., iv. 1. 9S. 
Not leaving him so much as a poor halfpenny to pay for 
his waftage. Randolph, .Jealous Lovers, iv. 1. 
wafter (waf ter), II. [< wafl + -eel.] 1. One 
who or that which wafts. 
Charon, oh, Charon, 
Thou wafter of the souls to bliss or bane ! 
Fletcher, ilad Lover, iv. 1. 
2t. A boat for passage or transport. 
There went before the lord-mayor's barge a foyste for 
a wafter full of ordinance. 
Quoted in Strutt's Sports and Pastimes, p. 479. 
3t. The master of a passage-boat or transport. 
The . . . great master . . . sent vessels called brigan- 
tines, for to cause the wafters of the sea to come into 
Rhodes for the keeping and fortifying of the towiie, the 
which at the first sending came and presented their per- 
sons and ships. Hakluyt's Voyages, II. 73. 
4. A sword having the flat ]iart placed in the 
usual direction of the edge, blunted for exer- 
cises. Meyrick. (Halliwell.) 
Wafttire (waf tiir), «. [< iciift + -iire.'i The 
act of wafting or wavifig; a beckoning or ges- 
ture. 
But, with an angry wafttire of your hand, 
Gave sign for nie to leave you. 
Shah., J. C, ii. 1. 216. 
wag 
Where least expected, the Platonic seed seems blown 
by the continual wa,ftiire of the winds of destiny. 
Jour. Spec. Phil,,'XIX. 51. 
wagl (wag), I'. : pret. and pp. wagijed, ppr. 
miyying. [< ME. wayyen, < OSw. wa'yya, wag. 
pp. wai, 
6bw. «'«„„ 
fluctuate, rock (a cradle), Sw. rogya," rock (a, 
cradle) (cf. Icel. vayyii = OSw. wagya, Sw. 
rayya, a cradle, = Dan. niyge, a cradle, viiyye, 
rock a cradle); a secondary "form (parallel with 
AS. wagian, wag, > ME. wawen (see iraw'^) = 
OHG. wagon, weckeii, cause to move, = Goth. 
icagjan, guwugjan, make wag, stir, shake) of 
AS. wcgan = OHG. weynn, move, = Goth, ga- 
wigan, shake up, cause to move: see tceigli.'] 
1. trans. 1. To cause to move up and down, 
backward and forward, or from side to side, al- 
ternately, as a small body jointed or attached 
to, or connected with, a larger one ; cause to 
move one way or another, as on a pivot or 
joint, or on or from something by wliich the 
body moved is supported; cause to shake, 
oscillate, or vibrate slightly. From the quick, 
jerky, or abrupt motion indicated by the word, an idea 
of playful, sportive, mocking, scornful, or derisive mo- 
tion is associated with it in certain phrases : as, to wag 
the head or the finger. 
And thanne fondeth the Fende my fruit to destniye 
With alle the wyles that he can, and n-aygeth the rote. 
Piers Plowman (B), xvi. 41. 
He found him selfe miwist so ill bestad 
That lim he could not nag. Spenser, F. Q., V. i. 22. 
And they that passed by reviled liim, wagging their 
heads. Mat. xxvii. 39. 
Let ditch-bred wealth henceforth forget to wag 
Her base, though golden tail. 
(iuarles, Emblems, ii. 12. 
Let me see the proudest 
. . . but wag his finger at thee. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., v. 3. 131. 
He would plant himself straight before me, and stand 
wagging that bud of a tail. Dr. J. Brown, Kab, p. 12. 
2t. To nudge. 
Ich wondrede what that was, and waggede Conscience; . . . 
Quath Conscience, . . . " this is Cristes messager. " 
Piers Plowman (C), xxii. 204. 
To wag one's chin or Jaw. See cAin.— To wag one's 
tongue. See tongue, 
II. infrans. 1. To move backward and for- 
ward, up and down, or from side to side, alter- 
nately, as if connected with a larger body by a 
joint, pivot, or any flexible or loose attach- 
ment; oscillate; sway or swing; vibrate: an 
arrow is said to rcay when it vibrates in the 
air. 
Vet saugh I nevere, by my fader kyn, 
How that the hopur [hopper] waggcs til and fra. 
Chaucer, Iteeve's 'I'ale, I. Hi'. 
Old men are the truest lovers; young men are inconstant, 
and wag with every wind. Shirley, Love Tricks, i. 1. 
The dreary black .sea-weed lolls and wags. 
Lowell, .\ppledore, i. 
2. To be in motion or action ; make progress; 
continueacourseorcareer; stir. [Noweolloq.] 
"Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world wags." 
Shak., As you Like it, ii. 7. 23. 
They made a pretty good shift to wag along. 
Biinyan, Pilgrim's Progress, ii. 
3. To move on or away: be off; depart; pack 
off; begone. [Noweolloq.] 
It is said by maner of a prouerbiall speach that he who 
Andes himselfe well should not wagge. 
Pnttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 194. 
At length the busy time begins. 
"Come, neighbours, we must wag," 
Cowper, Yearly Distress. 
wagl (wag), n. [< iriiyl, t\] The act of wag- 
ging; a shake; an oscillation. 
He . . . introduced himself with a wag of his tail, in- 
timating a general willingness to be happy. 
Dr. J. Brown, Spare Hours, 1st sev., p. 87. 
wag2 (wag), n. [Early mod. E. irayye; perhaps 
short for irogtmlhr, formerly used humorously 
for ' a rogue ' (cf . ' a mad iriiy ' with ' a mail 
waglialt(r'), < wiiy^, with rcf. to moving the 
head playfully or derisively: see wvff/l.] 1. 
One who is given to joking or jesting ; a 
witty or humorous jierson ; one full of sport 
and humor; a droll fellow. The word seems for- 
merly to have been applied to a person who indulged 
in coarse, low, or broad humor, or buffoonery, as a prac- 
tical joker. 
Sir Fran, A prodigious civil gentleman, uncle ; anil yet 
as boUI as Alexander upon occjision. 
Cue. Rich. L'lHjn a lady's occasion. 
Sir Fran. Ha, ha, you are a wag, uncle. 
Vanbrugh, Journey to London, iii. 1. 
A wag is the last order even of pretenders t(j wit and 
good humour. He has generally Ills minil preiiarcd to re- 
ceive some occasion of merriment, but is of himself too 
empty to draw out any of his own set of thoUKhts ; and 
therefore laughs at the next thing he meets, not because 
it is ridiculous, l»ut because he is under a necessity of 
laughing. Steele, Tatkr, No. 184. 
