Orphan vs. Waif
Difference Between Orphan and Waif
Orphannoun
A person, especially a minor, both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.
Waifnoun
Often in the form waif and stray, waifs and strays: an article of movable property found of which the owner is not known, such as goods washed up on a beach or thrown away by an absconding thief; such items belong to the Crown, which may grant the right of ownership to them to a lord of a manor.
Orphannoun
A person, especially a minor, whose parents have permanently abandoned them.
Waifnoun
(figuratively)
Orphannoun
A young animal with no mother.
Waifnoun
Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance.
Orphannoun
(figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's demise or decision to abandon.
Waifnoun
A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast.
Orphannoun
(typography) A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.
Waifnoun
(by extension) A very thin person.
Thesaurus:thin personThesaurus:fat personOrphannoun
(computing) Any unreferenced object.
Waifnoun
A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but is not persistently naturalized.
Orphanadjective
Deprived of parents (also orphaned).
She is an orphan child.Waifnoun
A small flag used as a signal.
Orphanadjective
Remaining after the removal of some form of support.
With its government funding curtailed, the gun registry became an orphan program.Waifnoun
Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried aloft by the wind.
Orphanverb
(transitive) To deprive of parents used almost exclusively in the passive
What do you do when you come across two orphaned polar bear cubs?Waifverb
(intransitive) To be cast aside or rejected, and thus become a waif.
Orphanverb
To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to.
When you removed that image tag, you orphaned the resized icon.Removing categories orphans pages from the main category tree.Waifnoun
a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned;
street children beg or steal in order to surviveOrphannoun
a child who has lost both parents
Orphannoun
someone or something who lacks support or care or supervision
Orphannoun
the first line of a paragraph that is set as the last line of a page or column
Orphannoun
a young animal without a mother
Orphanverb
deprive of parents
Orphanadjective
deprived of parents by death or desertion
