Waist Weɪst Area Noun Bre Put Arm Paralysed

• he put his arm around her waist.
• she was paralysed from the waist down (= in the area below her waist).
• the workmen were stripped to the waist (= wearing no clothes on the top half of their bodies).
• a skirt with an elasticated waist

waist

1. the area around the middle of the body between the ribs and the hips, often narrower than the areas above and below
• He put his arm around her waist.
• She was paralysed from the waist down (= in the area below her waist).
• The workmen were stripped to the waist (= wearing no clothes on the top half of their bodies).
2. the part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist
• a skirt with an elasticated waist
3. having the type of waist mentioned
• a high-waisted dress

Extra Examples

• He wrapped his arms around her waist.
• She wore a broad belt about her waist.
• These jeans have a 32-inch waist.
• Where we were standing, the lake was waist-deep.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: apparently representing an Old English word from the Germanic root of the verb wax senses 4 and 5.