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waiting
[
wey
-ting]
/ˈweɪ tɪŋ/
Spell
Syllables
Word Origin
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noun
1.
a period of
waiting
; pause, interval, or delay.
adjective
2.
serving or being in attendance:
waiting man;
waiting maid;
waiting woman.
Idioms
3.
in waiting,
in attendance, as upon a royal personage.
Origin of
waiting
Expand
Middle English
1150-1200
1150-1200;
Middle English
(noun); see
wait
,
-ing
1
,
-ing
2
Related forms
Expand
waitingly,
adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
Cite This Source
Idioms and Phrases with
in waiting
Expand
in waiting
In attendance, especially on a royal personage. For example,
The prelates who were in waiting asked him to take the last rites
. This usage has become less common with the diminution of royalty and royal courts but still survives.
[
Late 1600s
]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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