Waist
[weɪst] or [west]
Definition
(n.) 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.
(n.) 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.
(n.) A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line.
(n.) A girdle or belt for the waist.
Typed by Irwin
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Middle part (as of the human body or a ship).[2]. Bodice.
Editor: Louise
Definition
n. the smallest part of the human trunk between the ribs and the hips: the bodice of a woman's dress: the middle part as of a ship of a musical instrument—(Shak.) of a period of time; (Shak.) something that surrounds.—ns. Waist′-anchor an anchor stowed in the waist of a ship; Waist′band the band or part of a garment which encircles the waist; Waist′belt a belt for the waist; Waist′boat a boat carried in the waist of a vessel; Waist′cloth a piece of cloth worn around the waist and hanging below it in India; Waist′coat a short coat worn immediately under the coat and fitting the waist tightly; Waistcoateer′ (obs.) a strumpet; Waist′coating material for men's waistcoats usually of a fancy pattern and containing silk.—adjs. Waist′-deep -high as deep high as to reach up to the waist.—n. Waist′er a green-hand on a whaler: an old man-of-war's-man who has not risen.
Typist: Susan
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of a round full waist, denotes that you will be favored by an agreeable dispensation of fortune. A small, unnatural waist, foretells displeasing success and recriminating disputes. For a young woman to dream of a nice, ready-made shirt-waist, denotes that she will win admiration through her ingenuity and pleasing manners. To dream that her shirt-waist is torn, she will be censured for her illicit engagements. If she is trying on a shirt-waist, she will encounter rivalry in love, but if she succeeds in adjusting the waist to her person, she will successfully combat the rivalry and win the object of her love.
Checker: Thomas
Examples
- Mary Chivers's mighty feats of athleticism could not have been performed with the twenty-inch waist that May Archer's azure sash so easily spanned. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- The rope was accordingly tied round his waist, and the work proceeded. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- The flaps of his waist-coat came half-way down his thighs, and the ends of his cravat reached to his waist. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- I don't think he put his arm round my waist to support me--but I am not sure. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Mr. Bumble made no reply; but in a slow and dignified manner, put his arm round the matron's waist. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- So trim her waist, her cap, her dress--I wondered how they had all been manufactured. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- They would not measure round the waist more than so much--describing to me the circumference with his hands. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Then her arms slipped from about my waist and she was gone. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- When the dinner-bell rang she went downstairs with her arm round her friend's waist, as is the habit of young ladies. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- She knew he was consumptive, his cheeks were so red and he was so uncommon thin in the waist. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- The men had to wade in water up to their waists. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Henry joined in the lesson; the two scholars stood opposite the master, their arms round each other's waists. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- You never know where to expect their waists. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Mrs. Murray made it, and it's sure to be right; it may be a straw's breadth shorter or longer-waisted, according to my having grown fat or thin. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- Mary Chivers was as tall and fair as her mother, but large-waisted, flat-chested and slightly slouching, as the altered fashion required. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
Typed by Adele