wait
weɪt
The spot where time moves and you cannot
The picture Time keeps running on while you cannot take a single step out of your spot. WAIT is time moving while you cannot; GO is you moving along with the time.
Where the picture shows up in wait
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hold still a moment
Wait here for a minute.
weɪt hɪr fɔːr ə ˈmɪnɪt
Hold on here a moment.
Standing in one place, eyes going from clock to door while only the feet shift
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sat out your turn
I waited two hours at the clinic.
aɪ ˈweɪtɪd tuː ˈaʊərz ət ðə ˈklɪnɪk
I sat two hours at the clinic.
On a hard chair, counting the number ahead of you drop by one at a time
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left there for you
Your dinner is waiting for you.
jɔːr ˈdɪnər ɪz ˈweɪtɪŋ fɔːr juː
Your dinner is on the table for you.
A covered bowl on the table going cold, facing an empty chair
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can be put off
That can wait until Monday.
ðæt kæn weɪt ənˈtɪl ˈmʌndeɪ
That can be left until Monday.
One sheet of paper lies face down at the edge of the desk for days, untouched
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the wait is unbearable
I can't wait to see you.
aɪ kænt weɪt tə siː juː
I really want to see you soon.
Counting the days left on a calendar, then getting up and pacing out of impatience
All of it in one picture
Wait is one picture: the time moves and you do not. Standing in one place until someone comes back is waiting; two hours spent on a clinic chair is having waited. A covered bowl cooling on the table is dinner waiting for you, and a file that does not move until Monday is work that can wait. When that held stillness feels unbearable, it becomes not being able to wait to see someone.