Adjacent Words

Waist definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WAIST, n.
1. That part of the human body which is immediately below the ribs or thorax; or the small part of the body between the thorax and hips.
2. That part of a ship which is between the quarter deck and forecastle. But in many ships now built, there is no quarter deck, and in such the waist is the middle part of the ship.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips [syn: waist, waistline]
2: the narrow part of the shoe connecting the heel and the wide part of the sole [syn: shank, waist]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English wast; probably akin to Old English wæstm growth, weaxan to grow — more at wax Date: 14th century 1. a. the typically narrowed part of the body between the thorax and hips b. the greatly constructioncted basal part of the abdomen of some insects (as wasps and flies) 2. the part of something corresponding to or resembling the human waist: as a. (1) the part of a ship's deck between the poop and forecastle (2) the middle part of a sailing ship between foremast and mainmast b. the middle section of the fuselage of an airplane 3. a garment or the part of a garment covering the body from the neck to the waistline or just below: a. bodice 1 b. blouse 4. waistline 1b • waisted adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a the part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips, usu. of smaller circumference than these; the narrower middle part of the normal human figure. b the circumference of this. 2 a similar narrow part in the middle of a violin, hourglass, wasp, etc. 3 a the part of a garment encircling or covering the waist. b the narrow middle part of a woman's dress etc. c US a blouse or bodice. 4 the middle part of a ship, between the forecastle and the quarterdeck. Phrases and idioms: waist-cloth a loincloth. waist-deep (or -high) up to the waist (waist-deep in water). Derivatives: waisted adj. (also in comb.). waistless adj. Etymology: ME wast, perh. f. OE f. the root of WAX(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Waist Waist, n. [OE. wast; originally, growth, akin to AS. weaxan to grow; cf. AS. w[ae]stm growth. See Wax to grow.] 1. That part of the human body which is immediately below the ribs or thorax; the small part of the body between the thorax and hips. --Chaucer. I am in the waist two yards about. --Shak. 2. Hence, the middle part of other bodies; especially (Naut.), that part of a vessel's deck, bulwarks, etc., which is between the quarter-deck and the forecastle; the middle part of the ship. 3. A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line. 4. A girdle or belt for the waist. [Obs.] --Shak. Waist anchor. See Sheet anchor, 1, in the Vocabulary.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(waists) 1. Your waist is the middle part of your body where it narrows slightly above your hips. Ricky kept his arm round her waist... He was stripped to the waist. N-COUNT: oft poss N • -waisted Sarah looked slender-waisted, fragile and very beautiful. COMB in ADJ 2. The waist of a garment such as a dress, coat, or pair of trousers is the part of it which covers the middle part of your body. N-COUNT • -waisted ...high-waisted dresses. COMB in ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Middle part (as of the human body or a ship). 2. Corsage.

Moby Thesaurus

blouse, bodice, center, core, corsage, diameter, diaphragm, dickey, equator, heart, interior, kernel, linen, mean, median, middle, midmost, midriff, midst, nucleus, shift, shirt, thick, thick of things, waistline, zone