Wait

Wait [Frankish: wahten], tower watchman and, by extension, his instr. A 15th-c. Nominate glosses *colomaula as “wayte pype”; in 1530 Palsgrave defines wayte as “an instrument, hauboys.” Although the favorite instr. was a shawm, other wind instrs. were also played (cornetts, sackbuts, recorders, curtals) and even stringed instrs. are occasionally mentioned. But the word wait seems to have been identified with the shawm—when it denoted an instr. and not its performer—since the 15th c. James…