refugee vs waif

refugee

noun
  • A person who flees one place or institution for another. 

  • A person seeking refuge due to a natural disaster, war, etc. 

  • A person seeking refuge in a foreign country out of fear of political persecution or the prospect of such persecution in their home country, i.e., a person seeking political asylum. 

  • A person formally granted political or economic asylum by a country other than their home country. 

verb
  • To convey (slaves) away from the advance of the federal forces. 

waif

noun
  • A person (especially a child) who is homeless and without means of support; also, a person excluded from society; an outcast. 

  • A plant introduced in a place outside its native range but is not persistently naturalized. 

  • A very thin person. 

  • Something found, especially if without an owner; something which comes along, as it were, by chance. 

  • A small flag used as a signal. 

  • Something (such as clouds or smoke) carried aloft by the wind. 

verb
  • To cast aside or reject, and thus make a waif. 

How often have the words refugee and waif occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )