‖n. [ L. ] The southwest wind. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who chafes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A vessel for heating water; -- hence, a dish or pan. [ 1913 Webster ]

A chafer of water to cool the ends of the irons. Baker. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. ceafor; akin to D. kever, G këfer. ] (Zool.) A kind of beetle; the cockchafer. The name is also applied to other species; as, the rose chafer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Chafe, v. t. ] (Iron Works) An open furnace or forge, in which blooms are heated before being wrought into bars. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Chafer the beetle. ] (Zool.) A beetle of the genus Melolontha (esp. Melolontha vulgaris) and allied genera; -- called also May bug, chafer, or dorbeetle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G. läufer a runner, Prov. G. laufer, lofer, fr. laufen to run. See Leap. ] 1. One who loafs; a lazy lounger. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A type of shoe without laces which can be easily slipped on or off; -- originally a trademark; as, he bought a new pair of loafers. [ PJC ]

n. [ OE. wafre, OF. waufre, qaufre, F. qaufre; of Teutonic origin; cf. LG. & D. wafel, G. waffel, Dan. vaffel, Sw. våffla; 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wafers piping hot out of the gleed. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers, and marchpanes. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

A woman's oaths are wafers -- break with making B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wafered p. pr. & vb. n. Wafering. ] To seal or close with a wafer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A dealer in the cakes called wafers; a confectioner. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]