English word wait comes from Frankish *wahtjan, and later Old French gaitier (To watch; to survey.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *wahtjan | Frankish (frk) | |
| waitier | Old French (fro) | |
| wacto | Latin (lat) | (Medieval Latin) I guard, watch over. (Medieval Latin) I keep watch, perform guard duty. (Medieval Latin) I lie in wait, ambush. |
| gaitier | Old French (fro) | To watch; to survey. |
| waiter | Old Northern French (fro-nor) | |
| wayten | Middle English (enm) | |
| wait | English (en) | (in the plural, archaic, UK) Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [formerly waites, wayghtes.]. (in the plural, obsolete, UK) Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.. (obsolete) One who watches; a watchman.. A delay.. An ambush. (intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to [...] |