01 n. Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belon…
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1.
Goods found of which the owner is not known; originally, such goods as a pursued thief threw away to prevent being apprehended, which belonged to the king unless the owner made pursuit of the felon, took him, and brought him to justice.(Eng. Law.)
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2.
Hence, anything found, or without an owner; that which comes along, as it were, by chance.
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3.
A wanderer; a castaway; a stray; a homeless child.“A waif Desirous to return, and not received.” — Cowper.