Wastebin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A vessel intended for storing refuse and unwanted materials before they are taken away for disposal
2. An apparatus used to accumulate trash and discarded items until it is emptied
3. A receptacle designed to temporarily hold discarded materials and trash before removal

Etymology: "Wastebin" is a plain compound: "waste" joined to "bin," with no hidden twist in its making. "Waste" comes from Old French "waste" and Latin "vastus," meaning empty, desolate, or uncultivated, so the original sense was of land laid bare, and only later did it shift toward discarded material. "Bin" is an older English word for a storage box or container, used for grain, bread, or other goods kept in a box or chest. Put together, the compound describes a bin for waste, a container for what is left over and no longer wanted. The term is a straightforward combination of two long-standing English words rather than a coinage with a notable inventor or story.

Synonyms: trash can, garbage can, rubbish bin, bin, container