Dictionary

waist en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /weɪst/
• (Southern-England) audio
• (US) audio

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weks- (“to multiply, increase”). Cognate with Middle English wacste (“growth, increase, might, power”), Middle High German wahst (“growth”), Danish vækst (“growth”), Swedish växt (“growth, development, size”), Icelandic vöxtur (“growth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (wahstus, “growth”). Related to Old English weaxan (“to grow, increase”). More at wax.

Meanings

1. The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
2. A part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist.
3. The narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects (e.g., bees, ants and wasps).
4. The middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft.
5. That part of the upper deck of a ship between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.
   • There he stood, very quietly overlooking some sailmakers who were mending a top-sail in the waist. 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 18”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
6. The middle part of anything.
   • In the dead vast and middle of the night c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
   • The waist of a bell widens into the lip.

Forms

Deriveds

paperbag waist · drop waist · empire waist · pantywaist · waistboat · emancipation waist · waist cincher · shirt waist · waist-deep · waisted · waistcoat · waistlong · empire-waist · snatched waist · waist overalls · shirtwaister · shirtwaist · waist card · waister · waistbelt · waistless · waistwrap · sheer-to-waist · waisting · strip to the waist · waist bag · waist-high · wasp waist · waist chain · waistline · waistcloth · dropped waist · waist-deep in the Big Muddy · shirt-waist · waistband

Descendants

ウエスト

Translations (198)

vi eo (part of the body) · de Schiffsrumpf (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · th สะเอว (part of the body) · gu કમર (part of the body) · sah биил (part of the body) · ur کمر (part of the body) · izh vöönkohta (part of the body) · da liv (part of the body) · ml ഇടുപ്പ് (part of the body) · he מָתְנֵי הָאֳנִיָּה (nautical: upper deck of a ship between the quarterdeck and the forecastle) · bcl abayan (part of the body) · ne कटि (part of the body) · da hvepsetalje (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · kmr navteng (part of the body) · uk та́лія (part of the body) · enm wast (part of the body) · sq bel (part of the body) · tao kawakan (part of the body) · nn talje (part of the body) · scn cigna (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · nl middel (part of the body) · es cintura (part of the body) · nn liv (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · io tayo (part of the body) · haw pūhaka (part of the body) · la medium corpus (part of the body) · bcl iksan (part of the body) · sq mes (part of the body) · scn curriva (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · kix ùm (part of the body) · uz bel (part of the body) · kea sintura (part of the body) · az qurşaq (part of the body) · gd meadhan (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · fr ceinture (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · lad bel (part of the body) · kxd pinggang (part of the body) · tg миён (part of the body) · et kesktekk (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · kk бел (part of the body) · hu törzs (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · ru по́яс (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · mvi ヨーラ (part of the body) · nn vepsetalje (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · ru шкафу́т (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · hi कमर (part of the body) · az bel (part of the body) · ro mijloc (part of the body) · te నడుము (part of the body) · nb liv (part of the body) · fi vyötärö (part of the body) · fi vyötärö (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · lad ביל (part of the body) · pdt Taulj (part of the body) · gl cós (part of the body) · su angkeng (part of the body) · pl pas (part of the body) · es cinto (part of the body) · lt juosmuo (part of the body) · ko 허리 (part of the body) · el μέση (part of the body) · cmn 腰 (part of the body) · ota بل (part of the body) · be та́лія (part of the body) · ttj embaju class 10 (part of the body) · ny chiuno (part of the body) · scn cintu (part of the body) · ja 胴回り (part of the body) · fr taille (part of the body) · gl van (part of the body) · ceb hawak (part of the body) · br dargreiz (part of the body) · th กะเอว (part of the body) · ru та́лия (part of the body) · nb talje (part of the body) · mk појас (part of the body) · ne कम्मर (part of the body) · nn kvefsetalje (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · aht -tlʼede (part of the body) · he מֹתֶן (part of the body) · lo ແອວ (part of the body) · pl talia (part of the body) · ka წელი (part of the body) · hi कटि (part of the body) · fi vyötärö (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · de Rumpf (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · ca cintura (part of the body) · it cintura (part of the body) · km ចង្កេះ (part of the body) · it cintola (part of the body) · ro talie (part of the body) · my ခါး (part of the body) · nn beltestad (part of the body) · scn cintu (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · scn vita (part of the body) · et vöökoht (part of the body) · vi eo lưng (part of the body) · tl baywang (part of the body) · eu gerri (part of the body) · grc ἰξύς (part of the body) · mt qadd (part of the body) · tyv бел кеш (part of the body) · cy gwasg (part of the body) · gd meadhan (part of the body) · sv midja (part of the body) · ru лиф (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · hil hawak (part of the body) · de Mittelteil (middle part of anything) · da talje (part of the body) · tyv бел кежи (part of the body) · sl pas (part of the body) · br bandenn (part of the body) · arz وسط (part of the body) · sva ლა̄რტყა (part of the body) · is mitti (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · mnc ᡩᠠᡵᠠ (part of the body) · mn бэлхүүс (part of the body) · zza mér (part of the body) · sh по̏ја̄с (part of the body) · taa -tl'eda (part of the body) · sk pás (part of the body) · th เอว (part of the body) · is mitti (part of the body) · ky бел (part of the body) · ast cintura (part of the body) · nb midje (part of the body) · xmf ოჭიში (part of the body) · ug بەل (part of the body) · de Hüfttuch (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · njo-jgl teperem (part of the body) · ckb کەمەر (part of the body) · nb beltested (part of the body) · fr taille (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · ja 胴のくびれ (part of the body) · tyv бел кежик (part of the body) · la media pars corporis (part of the body) · nb vepsetalje (narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects) · ota خصر (part of the body) · iqu acajinacúraji (part of the body) · eo talio (part of the body) · za hwet (part of the body) · de Taille (part of the body) · fi keskirunko (middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft) · nv anííʼ (part of the body) · id pinggang (part of the body) · fa کمر (part of the body) · tk bil (part of the body) · hy իրան (part of the body) · ja 腰部 (part of the body) · da midje (part of the body) · ta இடுப்பு (part of the body) · pdt Kjnäp (part of the body) · rom mashkar (part of the body) · tl bewang (part of the body) · msk awak (part of the body) · hu derék (part of the body) · yi טאַליע (part of the body) · sh pȍjās (part of the body) · kn ಸೊಂಟ (part of the body) · izh vöönkohta (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · es talle (part of the body) · krj hawak (part of the body) · nn midje (part of the body) · mnc ᡩᠠᡵᠠᠮᠠ (part of the body) · ar خَصْر (part of the body) · cmn 腰部 (part of the body) · ar وَسَط (part of the body) · fi keskiosa (middle part of anything) · es cintura (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · hy գոտկատեղ (part of the body) · nn liv (part of the body) · it vita (part of the body) · pdt Weest (part of the body) · otk 𐰋𐰃𐰠 (part of the body) · fr taille (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · th บั้นเอว (part of the body) · gl cintura (part of the body) · cs pas (part of the body) · pt cintura (part of the body) · bg корсаж (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · tr bel (part of the body) · ms pinggang (part of the body) · da talje (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · kmr newq (part of the body) · bho कमर (part of the body) · de Mitte (middle part of anything) · lv viduklis (part of the body) · lv jostasvieta (part of the body) · sw kiuno (part of the body) · sva ჯაჭა̈რ (part of the body) · nb liv (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · cop ϯⲡⲓ (part of the body) · tg камар (part of the body) · pl pas (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · ba бил (part of the body) · haw pākana (part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist) · bg та́лия (part of the body) · pam auakan (part of the body)