Etymologically
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waist

Etymology and origin of the English word waist

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1350
Ultimate origin
Old English (*wæst)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /weɪst/[1]

Etymology

Middle English wast is a word of uncertain origin,[2] possibly from Old English *wæst (“growth, size”),[3][4][5] related to wæstm, growth, and cognate with Old Norse vǫxtr and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (wahstus), growth, stature,[3][4][5] all from the root of wax, to grow.[3][2][6] The OED compares French taille, where “waist” seems to have developed from “size of the body”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The middle part of the body between the chest and hips: probably 1350–75 in Barnhart, the late 14th century in Etymonline.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The part of a garment covering the waist is also from the late 14th century in Etymonline,[2] 1650 in the OED,[7] and a girdle from 1550, now obsolete.[7] The middle part of a ship is from the 15th century,[4] and the narrow middle part of anything from 1612.[7] Waistcoat is from 1519, waistband from 1584 and waistline from 1897.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1350 – the middle of the body.[3]
  • 15th century – the middle of a ship.[4]
  • 1519 – waistcoat.[3]
  • 1612 – a narrow middle part.[7]
  • 1897 – waistline.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The narrow part of the body between the ribs and the hips.
  2. The part of a garment that covers the waist.
  3. The narrow middle part of something, such as a violin or a ship.

Word family

  • waistless
  • waisted
  • pantywaist
  • shirtwaist
  • waist-deep
  • waist-high
  • waistband
  • waistcloth
  • wax
  • waistcoat
  • waistline

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Waist.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/waist. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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