waiflike

W4A1I1F4L1I1K5E1

adjective

Resembling a waif; apparently homeless, starving, etc.

“Translations, Act I - Brian Friel "She has a waiflike appearance and could be any age from seventeen to thirty-five."”

OriginProto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English waif →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

adjectivewaiflike (comparative more waiflike, superlative most waiflike)

comparative more waiflike · superlative most waiflike

  1. Resembling a waif; apparently homeless, starving, etc.

    Translations, Act I - Brian Friel "She has a waiflike appearance and could be any age from seventeen to thirty-five."

Origin

  1. Englishwaif
  2. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  3. Proto-Germanic*līką
  4. Englishwaiflike

From waif + -like.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

waiflike. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waiflike

MLA

“waiflike.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waiflike. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “waiflike,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waiflike.

Source: waiflike on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.