| Definitions | noun
- a light breeze
- something (a scent or odor), such as a perfume, that is carried through the air
- (nautical) a flag, (also called a waif), used to indicate wind direction
verb
- to float easily and gently on the air
- A breeze wafted through the open window and wafted her sensuous perfume to my eager nostrils . . .
Etymology: - (rfe, Is the back formation from "wafter" plausible? Oxford ety dict. is the source; some refs point to possible Scandanavian root for word and also for obs. senses of waif)
- (back-form, wafter, nodot=7) (armed convoy ship), alteration of Middle English waughter, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German wachter (a guard), from wachten (to guard)
- the current usage derives from the sense 'carried by water'. See waif
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