wafer

1 of 2

noun

wa·​fer ˈwā-fər 

plural wafers

1

a

: a thin crisp cake, candy, or cracker

b

: a round thin piece of unleavened bread used in the celebration of the Eucharist

2

: an adhesive disk of dried paste with added coloring matter used as a seal

3

a

: a thin disk or ring resembling a wafer and variously used (as for a valve or diaphragm)

b

: a thin slice of semiconductor (such as silicon) used as a base for an electronic component or circuit

wafer-like

ˈwā-fər-ˌlīk 

adjective

or less commonly waferlike

wafer-like cookies

a wafer-like electronic sensor

wafer

2 of 2

verb

wafered; wafering ˈwā-f(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to seal, close, or fasten with a wafer

2

: to divide (something, such as a silicon rod) into wafers

Examples of wafer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

McDonald’s limited time McFlurry sensations include the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry featuring vanilla soft serve blended ice cream with banana and strawberry clusters and chocolatey, crunchy pieces of Kit Kat wafer bites. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024

Copper is an ideal vessel for the type of precision cooking restaurants require—things like maintaining oil temperature when frying wafer thin strips of potato or ensuring a demi-glace doesn’t get scorched at the edges. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appétit, 8 July 2024

Verb

Some key headwinds pertaining to wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending could hurt shares of Applied Materials and Lam Research , according to Mizuho. —Pia Singh,fred Imbert, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024

This is a horror movie purposefully set up to court both types of viewers, and very much wants to have its communion wafer and eat it, too. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French wafer, walfre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch wafele waffle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wafer

• wafer-thin

Kids Definition

wafer

noun

wa·​fer

ˈwā-fər

1

a

: a thin crisp cake or cracker

b

: a round thin piece of bread used in the sacrament of Communion

2

: something (as a piece of candy or a computer chip) resembling a wafer especially in thin round form

Medical Definition

wafer

noun

wa·​fer ˈwā-fər 

: cachet