Wait

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /weɪt/

Definitions

1. To remain in a place or delay action until a particular time, event, or condition occurs
2. To stay in a location or postpone an action until a specified time, occurrence, or state is achieved
3. To remain stationary or hold off on an action until something expected happens or a certain time arrives

Etymology: The verb "wait" largely displaced an older English word, "bide," which survives today mainly in phrases like "bide your time." Its own ancestry runs through a sense of watching rather than idling. It comes from Middle English "waiten," which borrowed the idea of keeping watch from Anglo-Norman "waiter," and ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "to watch, guard." That Frankish root is shared with German "wachen," Dutch "wachten," and French "guetter," all of which still carry the sense of watching out for something. The modern meaning of staying put until something happens grew out of that lookout sense: a sentry waits because he is watching for an approaching enemy. Middle English also absorbed a second strand, "waiten" in the sense of lying in ambush or contriving harm, which came from Old Norse "veita," meaning to assist or grant. The two senses blended, and the meaning of simply remaining until a time arrived took hold over the older "bide."

Synonyms: delay, pause, linger, bide, stall

Antonyms: rush, hasten, accelerate, expedite, advance