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waist definition

waist (wāst)

noun

  1. the part of the body between the ribs and the hips
    1. the part of a garment that covers the waist
    2. waistline (sense )
    3. the part of a garment covering the body from the shoulders to a line above the hips
    4. the upper part of a woman's dress; bodice
    5. Archaic blouse
  2. the narrow part of any object that is wider at the ends the waist of a violin
  3. Aeron. the middle section of the fuselage of an airplane, esp. a bomber
  4. Naut. the central section of a ship; specif., the part of the deck between the forecastle and the quarterdeck
  5. Zool. the narrow part of the front of the abdomen of certain insects, as ants or wasps

Etymology: ME wast < base of OE weaxan, to grow, wax: sense development: growth (of body), hence size, thickness

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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