waist
waist Lexical Profile
waist Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The narrowing part of the human body located between the ribs and the hips.
"She tied the warm sweater securely around her waist before starting the steep hike."
The section of a garment that covers or fits around the middle of the body.
"The tailor carefully took in the waist of the trousers so they would fit properly."
The narrow central or middle part of an object, such as a violin, an hourglass, or a ship.
"The fine sand slowly trickled through the narrow waist of the antique hourglass."
Word Nuance & Usage
Commonly confused with its homophone 'waste', which refers to discarded material or the act of squandering.
• Rhymes for waist
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'wast', derived from Old English '*wæst' (growth), related to the verb 'weaxan' (to wax or grow). It originally denoted the part of an adult's body where growth or stoutness is often most apparent.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.