waist

Plural: waists

Noun

The narrow part of the human body between the ribs and hips.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
the narrow part of the shoe connecting the heel and the wide part of the sole
The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
A part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist.
The narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects (e.g., bees, ants and wasps).
The middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft.
That part of the upper deck of a ship between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.
The middle part of anything.

Examples

His opponent’s waist seemed to shrink as he saw the crushing Words With Friends score.
The waist of a bell widens into the lip.

Origin / Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg-s- (“to multiply, increase”). Cognate with Middle English wacste (“growth, increase, might, power”), Middle High German wahst (“growth”), Danish vækst (“growth”), Swedish växt (“growth, development, size”), Icelandic vöxtur (“growth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (wahstus, “growth”). Related to Old English weaxan (“to grow, increase”). More at wax.

Synonyms

shank, waistline

Scrabble Score: 8

waist: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
waist: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
waist: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

waist: valid Words With Friends Word