Main Entry:

waive

Pronunciation:

\ˈwāv\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

waived; waiv·ing

Etymology:

Middle English weiven to decline, reject, give up, from Anglo-French waiver, gaiver, from waif lost, stray — more at waif

Date:

14th century

1archaic : give up, forsake2: to throw away (stolen goods)3archaic : to shunt aside (as a danger or duty) : evade4 a: to relinquish voluntarily (as a legal right) <waive a jury trial> b: to refrain from pressing or enforcing (as a claim or rule) : forgo <waive the fee>5: to put off from immediate consideration : postpone6 [influenced by ¹wave] : to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand <waived the problem aside>7: to place (a ball player) on waivers ; also : to release after placing on waivers

synonyms see relinquish