wafer

1 of 2

noun

wa·​fer ˈwā-fər How to pronounce wafer (audio)
plural wafers
1
a
: a thin crisp cake, candy, or cracker
b
: a round thin piece of unleavened bread used in the celebration of the Eucharist
2
: an adhesive disk of dried paste with added coloring matter used as a seal
3
a
: a thin disk or ring resembling a wafer and variously used (as for a valve or diaphragm)
b
: a thin slice of semiconductor (such as silicon) used as a base for an electronic component or circuit
wafer-like adjective
or less commonly waferlike
wafer-like cookies
a wafer-like electronic sensor

wafer

2 of 2

verb

wafered; wafering ˈwā-f(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce wafer (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to seal, close, or fasten with a wafer
2
: to divide (something, such as a silicon rod) into wafers

Examples of wafer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Energy Department approves $544 million loan for production of silicon carbide wafers for EVs and power electronics in Michigan. Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Spanning Pyeongtaek to Yongin, the area is expected to be the largest in the world, capable of producing 7.7 million wafers monthly by 2030. Yoolim Lee, Fortune Asia, 26 Jan. 2024 Brown butter imparts a nutty flavor to the wafer crust. John Somerall, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 To forge hybrid bonds requires linking an already-diced silicon die to one that’s still attached to its wafer. IEEE Spectrum, 21 Feb. 2024 Surprise the family with this refreshing pie with a chocolate wafer crust and chocolate custard filling. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2024 Nanoimprint lithography stamps the chip’s design directly onto a silicon wafer, while EUV instead uses light to etch circuit patterns. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 29 Jan. 2024 The ventures are involved in developing security software and testing silicon wafers for military aviation electronics and space equipment, court documents say. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 The splintered water is documented in a set of bluish laser prints that demonstrate the results when droplets hit silicon wafers ultra-cooled by liquid nitrogen. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
Verb
How To Make Banana Pudding Cheesecake With an impressive ring of vanilla wafers around the edge of the cheesecake, and decadent filling, no one will know how quickly this dessert came together. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023 Tips for the Best Banana Pudding Cheesecake For the best banana pudding cheesecake, keep these tips in mind: Use the crust: Press the crust lightly up the sides of the pan to give the ring of vanilla wafers stability. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023 Layer half of vanilla wafers in an 8-inch square baking dish. Rebecca Lang, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2023 The blue-and-white Intel theme is only the start of this nifty mod, which resembles an Intel CPU wafer just off the fab. John Burek, PCMAG, 5 June 2023 Instead, the lasers on the wafer are undercut so that they are attached to the source wafer only by small tethers. Roel Baets, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2023 LAM Research, a company that supplies wafer fabrication equipment and related services to the semiconductor industry saw its last stock split in 2020. Trefis Team, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Highly energy efficient and often wafer thin, OLEDs are the technology of choice in high-end cellphone displays and televisions. New York Times, 27 Mar. 2022 The bottom of a L’industrie pie — wafer thin but still somehow pliable — is a miracle of engineering. New York Times, 17 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wafer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French wafer, walfre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch wafele waffle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wafer was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wafer

Cite this Entry

“Wafer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wafer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wafer

noun
wa·​fer
ˈwā-fər
1
a
: a thin crisp cake or cracker
b
: a round thin piece of bread used in the sacrament of Communion
2
: something (as a piece of candy or a computer chip) resembling a wafer especially in thin round form

Medical Definition

wafer

noun
wa·​fer ˈwā-fər How to pronounce wafer (audio)
: cachet

More from Merriam-Webster on wafer

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