·noun A wanderer; a castaway; a stray; a homeless child.
II. Waif ·noun Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance.
III. Waif ·noun Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice.