Legal Definitions - waif

Definition: Waif refers to an abandoned item whose owner is unknown. It can also refer to a homeless person, especially a woman or child who is a social outcast.

1. If a thief steals something and throws it away while running away, that item becomes a waif. At common law, if the waif was seized before the owner reclaimed it, the title vested in the Crown. However, today, the general rule is that a waif passes to the state in trust for the true owner, who may regain it by proving ownership.

2. In the thirteenth century, a woman who was declared a "waif" was considered a social outcast and had all the effects of outlawry.

These examples illustrate how the term "waif" can refer to both an abandoned item and a homeless person who is a social outcast.