way·lay  (w āl ā′)
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tr.v. way·laid (-l ād ′), way·lay·ing, way·lays 1. To lie in wait for and attack from ambush. See Synonyms at ambush. 2. To approach and speak to (a person on the way to a destination or in the middle of an activity): "After the meal he followed me into the living room and waylaid me before I could reassemble my guests" (Louis Auchincloss). 3. To interrupt the course or progress of: travelers waylaid by a storm; an athlete waylaid by an injury.
waylay′er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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