| wafer | 1. A thin cake made of flour and other ingredients. "Wafers piping hot out of the gleed." (Chaucer) "The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers, and marchpanes." (Holland) "A woman's oaths are wafers break with making" (B. Jonson) 2. A thin cake or piece of bread (commonly unleavened, circular, and stamped with a crucifix or with the sacred monogram) used in the Eucharist, as in the Roman Catholic Church. 3. An adhesive disk of dried paste, made of flour, gelatin, isinglass, or the like, and colouring matter, used in sealing letters and other documents. Wafer cake, a sweet, thin cake. Wafer irons, or Wafer tongs, a pincher-shaped contrivance, having flat plates, or blades, between which wafers are baked. Wafer woman, a woman who sold wafer cakes; also, one employed in amorous intrigues. Origin: OE. Wafre, OF. Waufre, qaufre, F. Qaufre; of Teutonic origin; cf. LG. & D. Wafel, G. Waffel, Dan. Vaffel, Sw. Vaffla; all akin to G. Wabe a honeycomb, OHG. Waba, being named from the resemblance to a honeycomb. G. Wabe is probably akin to E. Weave. See Weave, and cf. Waffle, Gauffer. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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