Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “waist” come from?

Waist comes from Middle English waste, from Middle English was, from Proto-Germanic wahstuz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots h₂weg-, h₂wes-, h₁ésmi, h₁ésti, and h₁es-.

waist (English): The part of the body between the pelvis and the...

Definitions

  1. The part of the body between the pelvis and the...

Ancestry of “waist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwastSecond-person singular past indicative form of...
2Latinvāstitās—
3Latin-tās—
4Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
5Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
6Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “waist”

  • waistcoat
  • waistband
  • waistline
  • waisted
  • shirtwaist
  • weskit
  • waistcloth
  • waistbelt
  • waistcoated
  • waistless
  • waisting
  • waister
  • waistcoatless
  • shirtwaisted
  • waistcoating
  • waistlong
  • unwaisted
  • waistcoateer
  • unwaistcoated
  • waistbanded
  • ウエスト
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →