Waifish

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Looking extremely thin, delicate, and fragile in appearance
2. Characterized by a slender and vulnerable physical form
3. Having a frail and slight body shape that evokes delicacy

Etymology: "Waifish" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "waif" with the suffix "-ish," meaning "somewhat like" or "having the qualities of." The suffix traces back through Old English "-isc" to a Proto-Germanic root, where it was used to form adjectives describing belonging to or resembling something, as in English "boyish" or "childish." The noun "waif" is the older and more interesting part of the story. In English it has long meant a lost or stray thing, such as an unclaimed animal or object, and later came to describe a homeless, neglected child. Adding "-ish" turns that image of the unprotected, underfed child into a description of a person's slight, delicate build, so "waifish" carries the sense of someone who looks as though she could be blown away by a strong wind.

Synonyms: emaciated, thin, slender

Antonyms: plump, full