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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Wait \Wait\, verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Waited}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Waiting}.] [OE. waiten, OF. waitier, gaitier, to watch, attend, F. guetter to watch, to wait for, fr. OHG. wahta a guard, watch, G. wacht, from OHG. wahh[=e]n to watch, be awake. [root]134. See {Wake}, verb (used without an object)]
1. To watch; to observe; to take notice. [Obs.]
''But [unless] ye wait well and be privy, I wot right well, I am but dead,'' quoth she. --Chaucer.
2. To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart.
All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. --Job xiv. 14.
They also serve who only stand and wait. --Milton.
Haste, my dear father; 't is no time to wait. --Dryden.
{To wait on} or {To wait upon}. (a) To attend, as a servant; to perform services for; as, to wait on a gentleman; to wait on the table. ''Authority and reason on her wait.'' --Milton. ''I must wait on myself, must I?'' --Shak. (b) To attend; to go to see; to visit on business or for ceremony. (c) To follow, as a consequence; to await. ''That ruin that waits on such a supine temper.'' --Dr. H. More. (d) To look watchfully at; to follow with the eye; to watch. [R.] ''It is a point of cunning to wait upon him with whom you speak with your eye.'' --Bacon. (e) To attend to; to perform. ''Aaron and his sons . . . shall wait on their priest's office.'' --Num. iii. 10. (f) (Falconry) To fly above its master, waiting till game is sprung; -- said of a hawk. --Encyc. Brit.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Waiting \Wait"ing\, a. & n. from {Wait}, v.
{In waiting}, in attendance; as, lords in waiting. [Eng.]
{Waiting gentlewoman}, a woman who waits upon a person of rank.
{Waiting maid}, {Waiting woman}, a maid or woman who waits upon another as a personal servant.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
waiting
adjective: being and remaining ready and available for use; "waiting cars and limousines lined the curb"; "found her mother waiting for them"; "an impressive array of food ready and waiting for the guests"; "military forces ready and waiting" [syn: {ready and waiting(p)}]
noun: the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him" [syn: {wait}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
93 Moby Thesaurus words for "waiting": about to be, agape, agog, all agog, already in sight, anticipant, anticipating, anticipative, anticipatory, anxiety, apprehension, approaching, at hand, attendant, attending, awaiting, brewing, certain, cliff-hanging, close, close at hand, coming, confident, dalliance, dallying, dawdling, dillydallying, dread, eager, expectant, expectant waiting, expecting, forearmed, forestalling, forewarned, forthcoming, future, gaping, gathering, going to happen, helping, hopeful, immediate, imminent, impendent, impending, in anticipation, in danger imminent, in expectation, in prospect, in reserve, in store, in the cards, in the offing, in the wind, in view, instant, lingering, looking for, looking forward to, looming, lowering, lurking, menacing, menial, ministering, near, near at hand, nearing, not surprised, on the horizon, optimistic, overhanging, pessimism, prepared, preparing, ready, sanguine, servile, serving, servitorial, sure, suspense, tarriance, tarrying, that will be, threatening, to come, uncertainty, unsurprised, upcoming, waiting for, watching for
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