From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wafer \Wa"fer\, n. [OE. wafre, OF. waufre, qaufre, F. qaufre; of
Teutonic origin; cf. LG. & D. wafel, G. waffel, Dan. vaffel,
Sw. v[*a]ffla; 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}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. (Cookery) A thin cake made of flour and other ingredients.
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Wafers piping hot out of the gleed. --Chaucer.
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The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers,
and marchpanes. --Holland.
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A woman's oaths are wafers -- break with making --B.
Jonson.
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2. (Eccl.) 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.
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3. An adhesive disk of dried paste, made of flour, gelatin,
isinglass, or the like, and coloring matter, -- used in
sealing letters and other documents.
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4. Any thin but rigid plate of solid material, esp. of
discoidal shape; -- a term used commonly to refer to the
thin slices of silicon used as starting material for the
manufacture of integrated circuits.
[PJC]
{Wafer cake}, a sweet, thin cake. --Shak.
{Wafer irons}, or {Wafer tongs} (Cookery), 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. --Beau. & Fl.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wafer \Wa"fer\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wafered}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Wafering}.]
To seal or close with a wafer.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wafer
n 1: a small adhesive disk of paste; used to seal letters
2: a small thin crisp cake or cookie
3: thin disk of unleavened bread used in a religious service
(especially in the celebration of the Eucharist)
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