Waist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /weɪst/

Definitions

1. The part of the human body between the ribs and hips, typically the narrowest part of the torso
2. The part of the body between the ribs and hips, typically the narrowest section of the torso
3. The area of the body that lies between the ribs and the hips, commonly regarded as the narrowest part of the torso

Etymology: The most striking thing about "waist" is that it originally had nothing to do with the middle of the body. Its ancestor meant "growth," "stature," or "build," the way a person's size and shape might be described. The word came from the same root that gives English "wax" in the sense of "to grow," so a waist was, in effect, a measure of how a body had grown. Over time the sense narrowed. Speakers started applying "wast" to a particular part of that growth, the place where the body seemed to pinch in between chest and hips. Middle English shows the word already in use in this slimmer sense, with the older meaning of "growth" surviving alongside it for a while before fading. The word's relatives in other Germanic languages still carry the older idea. Danish "vækst," Swedish "växt," and Icelandic "vöxtur" all mean "growth," and Gothic had "wahstus" with the same sense. English is the one branch that turned the word toward the body's midsection.

Synonyms: midsection, torso, hip, abdomen, stomach

Antonyms: head, shoulders, neck, feet, hands