wait-a-bit

American  

[wayt-uh-bit] / ˈweɪt əˌbɪt /

noun

1. any of various plants bearing thorns or prickly appendages, as the grapple plant or the greenbrier.

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wait-a-bit British  

noun

1. any of various plants having sharp hooked thorns or similar appendages, esp the greenbrier and the grapple plant

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Etymology

Origin of wait-a-bit

1775–85; translation of Afrikaans wag-'n-bietjie < Dutch wacht een beetje

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wait-a-bit

But Kim Alexander, head of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, falls into the wait-a-bit camp.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

And they all had them easy-going, wait-a-bit kind of voices, and didn't see no pertic'ler importance in their "r's."

From Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis

The black rhinoceros feeds on a species of thorn known in Cape Colony as wait-a-bit, which gives it a somewhat acrid and bitter flavour.

From In the Wilds of Africa by Alfred Pearse

He might indeed scramble over at the expense of torn hands and clothing, though there was the danger of being held fast by the tenacious wait-a-bit thorns of which the obstacle was made.

From Settlers and Scouts by Herbert Strang

The whole system teems with "wait-a-bit" thorns; and in such rare cases when difficulties do not exist, some jack-in-office is certain to arrive with the sole object and intention of inventing them.

From On the Heels of De Wet by Lionel James

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