“wafted” is a form of
waft
UK /wɒft/ · US /wɑft/ verb, noun
Forms wafts wafting wafted wheft
- verb (ergative) To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air. “A breeze came in through the open window and wafted her sensuous perfume into my eager nostrils.”
- verb (intransitive) To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
- verb To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon.
- noun A light breeze.
- noun Something (such as an odor or perfume) that is carried through the air.
- noun (nautical) A flag used to indicate wind direction or, with a knot tied in the center, as a signal; a waif, a wheft.
- noun (cricket, slang) A loose noncommittal shot, usually played to a ball pitched short of length and well wide of the off stump.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”).
See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (“to wave”) and Icelandic váfa (“to fluctuate, waver, doubt”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Obs.]
- verb To cause to move or go in a wavy manner, or by the impulse of waves, as of water or air; to bear along on a buoyant medium; as, a balloon was wafted over the channel.
- verb To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
- noun A wave or current of wind. "Everywaft of the air." Longfellow.
Etymology [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “waft”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details