Meanings
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1
noun
a thin disk of unleavened bread used in the Eucharist or Communion
The priest broke the consecrated wafer during the service.
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2
noun
a thin, light, crisp biscuit or cookie
She placed a vanilla wafer beside each bowl of ice cream.
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3
noun
a very thin slice of semiconductor material on which electronic circuits are made
Hundreds of chips were patterned onto a single silicon wafer.
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4
noun
a small, thin disk of adhesive material formerly used to seal letters or fasten papers
He softened the red wafer and pressed it over the folded letter.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English wafre, through Anglo-Norman wafre, from a Germanic source related to Middle Dutch wafel ("honeycomb"); waffle is a close relative. The word first named a thin crisp cake, then other similarly thin disks, including Communion bread, adhesive seals, and semiconductor slices.