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waist
waist / wāst/ • n. the part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips. ∎ the circumference of this: her waist is 28 inches. ∎ a narrowing of the trunk of the body at this point: the last time you had a waist was around 1978. ∎ the part of a garment encircling or covering the waist. ∎ the point at which a garment is shaped so as to narrow between the rib cage and the hips: a jacket with a high waist. ∎ a blouse or bodice. ∎ a narrow part in the middle of anything, such as a violin, an hourglass, the body of wasp, etc. ∎ the middle part of a ship, between the forecastle and the quarterdeck. DERIVATIVES: waist·ed adj. [in comb.] high-waisted.waist·less adj. |
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Cite this article
"waist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "waist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-waist.html "waist." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-waist.html |
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waist
waist middle section of the body XIV; middle part of a ship XV; narrowest or slenderest part XVII. ME. wa(a)st, later waste, waist; perh. repr. OE. *wæst, for *weahst, corr. to ON. *wahstur (Icel. vöxtr), Goth. wahstus growth, size, f. Gmc. *waχs- grow, WAX2. Comp. waist-coat XVI.
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T. F. HOAD. "waist." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "waist." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-waist.html T. F. HOAD. "waist." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-waist.html |
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waist
waist, that part of the upper deck of a ship between the forecastle and the quarterdeck. In sailing ships, that part of the upper deck between the fore- and mainmasts.
See also booms. |
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Cite this article
"waist." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "waist." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-waist.html "waist." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-waist.html |
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waist
waist n. the middle part of a ship, between the forecastle and the quarterdeck.
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Cite this article
"waist." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "waist." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-waist.html "waist." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-waist.html |
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waist
waist
•barefaced, baste, boldfaced, chaste, haste, lambaste, paste, po-faced, red-faced, self-faced, shamefaced, smooth-faced, strait-laced, taste, unplaced, untraced, waist, waste
•toothpaste • foretaste • aftertaste
•shirtwaist
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Cite this article
"waist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "waist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-waist.html "waist." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-waist.html |
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