1. A commercial software package that allows the indexing of huge quantities of information, and then making those indices searchable across networks such as the Internet. A prominent feature of WAIS is that the search results are ranked (scored) accordingto how relevant the hits are, and that subsequent searches can find more stuff like that last batch and thus refine the search process. From Matisse

2. These servers allow users to conduct full-text keyword searches in documents, databases, and libraries connected to the Internet. From Glossary of Distance Education and Internet Terminology