English▸ noun a homeless, neglected, or abandoned person, especially a child:
she is foster mother to various waifs and strays.
▪ a young person who is thin and looks unhealthy or uncared for:
a little shop presided over by a Gothic waif in purple eyeshadow and lipstick.
– ORIGIN late Middle English : from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old Northern French gaif, probably of Scandinavian origin. Early use was often in waif and stray, as a legal term denoting a piece of property found and, if unclaimed, falling to the lord of the manor.