A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

vociferous --- 1611, from L. vociferari "to shout, yell," from vox (gen. vocis) "voice" + root of ferre "to carry" (see infer). A noun form, vociferation, is recorded from c.1400.

vodka --- 1802, from Rus. vodka, lit. "little water," from voda "water" (from PIE *wedor, *wodor; see water) + dim. suffix -ka.

vogue --- 1571, the vogue, "leading place in popularity, greatest success or acceptance," from M.Fr. vogue "fashion, success, drift, swaying motion (of a boat)" lit. "a rowing," from O.Fr. voguer "to row, sway, set sail," probably from O.Low Ger. *wogon, variant of wagon "float, fluctuate," lit. "to balance oneself" (see weigh). Apparently the notion is of being "borne along on the waves of fashion." It. vogare also probably is borrowed from Gmc. Phrase in vogue "having a prominent place in popular fashion" first recorded 1643. The fashion magazine began publication in 1892.

voice (n.) --- c.1290, "sound made by the human mouth," from O.Fr. voiz, from L. vocem (nom. vox) "voice, sound, utterance, cry, call, speech, sentence, language, word," related to vocare "to call," from PIE base *wek- "give vocal utterance, speak" (cf. Skt. vakti "speaks, says," vacas- "word;" Avestan vac- "speak, say;" Gk. aor. eipon "spoke, said," epos "word;" O.Prus. wackis "cry;" Ger. er-wähnen "to mention"). Replaced O.E. stefn. Meaning "ability in a singer" is first attested 1607. Verb meaning "to express" (a feeling, opinion, etc.) first attested 1607. The noun in this sense (in ref. to groups of people, etc., e.g. Voice of America) is recorded from 1390.

void (adj.) --- c.1290, "unoccupied, vacant," from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. voide "empty, vast, wide, hollow, waste," from L. vocivus "unoccupied, vacant," related to vacuus "empty" (see vacuum). Meaning "lacking or wanting" (something) is recorded from c.1420. Meaning "legally invalid" is attested from 1433. Noun sense of "empty space, vacuum" is from 1727. The verb meaning "to clear" (some place, of something) is first recorded c.1300; meaning "to deprive (something) of legal validity" is attested from c.1325.

voila --- 1739, from Fr., imperative of voir "to see" + la "there."

voivode --- local or provincial ruler in Transylvania, Moldavia, etc., 1570, from Rus. voevoda, originally "leader of the army," from O.C.S. voji "warriors" + -voda "leader." Cf. Hung. vajvoda, Serb vojvoda, Pol. wojewoda.

volant --- flying, 1509, from M.Fr., from L. volantem (nom. volans), prp. of volare "to fly," of unknown origin. Fr. voler, lit. "to fly," in 16c. acquired a sense of "to steal," via the trans. meaning "to make fly."

volatile --- 1597 "fine or light," also "evaporating rapidly" (1605), from M.Fr. volatile, from L. volatilis "fleeting, transitory, flying," from pp. stem of volare "to fly," of unknown origin. Sense of "readily changing, fickle" is first recorded 1647. Volatiles in M.E. meant "birds, butterflies, and other winged creatures" (c.1300).

volcano --- 1613, from It. vulcano "burning mountain," from L. Vulcanus "Vulcan," Roman god of fire, also "fire, flames, volcano" (see Vulcan). The name was first applied to Mt. Etna by the Romans, who believed it was the forge of Vulcan. Volcanic first recorded 1774, from Fr. volcanique. Fig. sense of "prone to explosive activity" is attested from 1854.

vole --- 1805, volemouse, lit. "field-mouse," with first element probably from O.N. völlr "field," from P.Gmc. *walthuz (cf. Icelandic völlr, Swed. vall "field," O.E. weald; see wold).

volition --- 1615, from Fr. volition (16c.), from M.L. volitionem (nom. volitio) "will, volition," from L. stem (as in volo "I wish") of velle "to wish," from PIE *wel-/*wol- "be pleasing" (see will (v.)).

volley --- 1573, "discharge of a number of guns at once," from M.Fr. volee "flight" (12c.), from V.L. *volta, fem. noun from L. volatum, pp. of volare "to fly." Sporting sense (originally in tennis) is from 1819 (v.), 1862 (n.), from notion of hitting the ball in flight. Volleyball is attested from 1896.

Volstead --- in ref. to Prohibition legislation in U.S., 1920, from U.S. Rep. Andrew J. Volstead (1860-1947), Republican of Minnesota, who introduced the bill in 1919 that prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of beverages containing more than 0.5 per cent alcohol.

volt --- unit of electromotive force, 1873, back-formation from adj. voltaic (1813), designating electricity produced by chemical action, formed in allusion to It. physicist Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), who perfected a chemical process used in electrical batteries. Voltage is first attested 1890.

volte-face --- a reversal of opinion, 1819, from Fr., from It. volta faccia, lit. "turn face," from volta, imper. of voltare "to turn" (from V.L. *volvita, from L. volvere "to roll;" see vulva) + faccia (see face).

voluble --- 1575, "liable to constant change," from Fr. voluble, from L. volubilis "that turns around, rolling, flowing, fluent" (of speech), from volvere "to turn around, roll" (see vulva). Meaning "fluent, talkative" first recorded 1588.

volume --- c.1380, "roll of parchment containing writing, large book," from O.Fr. volume, from L. volumen (gen. voluminis) "roll (as of a manuscript), coil, wreath," from volvere "to turn around, roll" (see vulva). Meaning "book forming part of a set" (1523) is from M.Fr. Generalized sense of "bulk, mass, quantity" (1621) developed from that of "bulk or size of a book" (1530), again following the sense evolution in the Fr. version of the word. Voluminous "forming a large mass" is from 1647.

voluntary --- c.1374 (implied in voluntarily), from L. voluntarius "of one's free will," from voluntas "will," from the ancient accusative singular prp. of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)). Originally of feelings, later also of actions (c.1449).

volunteer (n.) --- c.1600, "one who offers himself for military service," from M.Fr. voluntaire, noun use of adj. meaning "voluntary," from L. voluntarius "voluntary, of one's free will" (see voluntary). Non-military sense is first recorded 1638. The verb is first recorded 1755, from the noun. Tennessee has been the Volunteer State since the Mexican War, when a call for 2,800 volunteers brought out 30,000 men.

voluptuous --- c.1374, "of desires or appetites," from O.Fr. voluptueux, from L. voluptuosus "full of pleasure, delightful," from voluptas "pleasure, delight," from volup "pleasurably," perhaps ultimately related to velle "to wish," from PIE *wol-/*wel- "be pleasing" (see will (v.)). Meaning "addicted to sensual pleasure" is recorded from c.1440. Sense of "suggestive of sensual pleasure" is attested from 1816 (Byron); especially in ref. to feminine beauty from 1839. Voluptuary "one addicted to sensuous pleasures" is attested from 1610.

volute --- 1696, "spiral ornament on an Ionic capital," from Fr. volute, from It. voluta, from L. voluta "a spiral scroll," originally fem. pp. of volvere "to turn around, roll" (see vulva). Extended 1756 to any spiral thing or part. As a type of spiral seashell, it is attested from 1753.

vomit (n.) --- c.1386, "act of expelling contents of the stomach through the mouth," from L. vomitare "to vomit often," frequentative of vomere "spew forth, discharge," from PIE base *wem- "to spit, vomit" (cf. Gk. emein "to vomit," emetikos "provoking sickness;" Skt. vamati "he vomits;" Avestan vam- "to spit;" Lith. vemiu "to vomit," O.N. væma "seasickness"). In ref. to the matter so ejected, it is attested from c.1390. The verb is recorded from 1422.

vomitorium --- 1754, "passage or opening in an ancient amphitheater, leading to or from the seats," from L. (Macrobius, Sat., VI.iv); see vomit. Erroneous meaning "place where ancient Romans (allegedly) deliberately vomited during feasts" is attested from 1923.

voodoo --- religious witchcraft of Haiti and Southern U.S., ult. of African origin, 1850, from Louisiana Fr. voudou, from a W.African language (e.g. Ewe and Fon vodu "spirit, demon, deity," also Vandoo, supposedly the name of an African deity, from a language of Dahomey). Cf. vodun "fetish connected with snake worship in Dahomey," said to be from vo "to be afraid," or vo "harmful." The verb is attested from 1880.

voracious --- 1635, formed as an adj. form of voracity (1526), from M.Fr. voracité, from L. voracitatem (nom. voracitas) "greediness, ravenousness," from vorax (gen. voracis) "greedy," from vorare "to devour," from PIE base *gwer- "to swallow, devour" (cf. Skt. girati "he swallows," garah "drink;" Gk. bora "food;" Lith. geriu "to drink;" O.C.S. ziro "to swallow," grulo "gullet").

-vorous --- comb form meaning "eating," from L. -vorous, from stem of vorare "to devour" (see voracious).

vortex --- 1652, "whirlpool, eddying mass," from L. vortex, variant of vertex "an eddy of water, wind, or flame; whirlpool; whirlwind," from stem of vertere "to turn" (see versus). Plural form is vortices. Became prominent in 17c. theories of astrophysics (by Descartes, etc.). In ref. to human affairs, it is attested from 1761. Vorticism as a movement in British arts and literature is attested from 1914, coined by Ezra Pound.

votary (n.) --- 1546, "one consecrated by a vow," from L. votum (see vow). Originally "a monk or nun," general sense of "ardent devotee of some aim or pursuit" is from 1591 (in Shakespeare, originally in ref. to love).

vote (n.) --- c.1460, from L. votum "a vow, wish, promise, dedication," noun use of neut. of votus, pp. of vovere "to promise, dedicate" (see vow). The verb in the modern sense is attested from 1552; earlier it meant "to vow" to do something (1533).

votive --- 1593, "dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow," from M.Fr. votif, from L. votivus "of or pertaining to a vow, conforming to one's wishes," from votum (see vow).

vouch --- c.1325, "summon into court to prove a title," from Anglo-Fr. voucher, O.Fr. vocher "to call, summon, invoke, claim," probably from Gallo-Romance *voticare, metathesis of L. vocitare "to call to, summon insistently," frequentative of L. vocare "to call, call upon, summon" (see voice). Meaning "guarantee to be true or accurate" is first attested 1591.

voucher --- originally "summoning of a person into court to warrant the title to a property;" see vouch. Meaning "receipt from a business transaction" is first attested 1696; sense of "document which can be exchanged for goods or services" is attested from 1947.

vouchsafe --- c.1303, vouchen safe "to vouch as safe" (see vouch and safe).

vow (n.) --- 1297, from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. vou, from L. votum "a vow, wish, promise, dedication," noun use of neut. of votus, pp. of vovere "to promise solemnly, pledge, dedicate, vow," from PIE base *ewegwh- "to speak solemnly, vow" (cf. Skt. vaghat- "one who offers a sacrifice;" Gk. eukhe "vow, wish," eukhomai "I pray"). The verb is attested from c.1300, from O.Fr. vouer.

vowel --- c.1308, from O.Fr. vouel, from L. vocalis, in littera vocalis, lit. "vocal letter," from vox (gen. vocis) "voice" (see voice). Vowel shift in ref. to the pronunciation change between M.E. and Mod.Eng. is attested from 1909. The Hawaiian word hooiaioia, meaning "certified," has the most consecutive vowels of any word in current human speech; the English record-holder is queueing.

vox --- 1550, from L., lit. "voice" (see voice). Especially in vox populi (1550) "the voice of the people" (the full maxim is Vox populi vox Dei "the voice of the people is the voice of God").

voyage (n.) --- 1297, from O.Fr. veiage "travel, journey," from L.L. viaticum "a journey" (in classical L. "provisions for a journey"), noun use of neut. of viaticus "of or for a journey," from via "road, journey, travel." The verb is first attested 1477.

voyeur --- a scopophiliac, 1900, from Fr. voyeur (1898), lit. "one who views or inspects," from voir "to view," from L. videre "to see" (see vision). Voyeurism first recorded 1924.

vroom --- 1967, echoic of the sound of a motor engine revving.

Vulcan --- god of fire and metal-work in Roman mythology, 1513, from L. Vulcanus, a word of Etruscan origin. Often with allusions to his lameness and the unfaithfulness of his wife, Venus. As the name of a hypothetical planet between Mercury and the Sun, it is attested from 1870. The Roman feast of Vulcanalia was on Aug. 23.

vulcanize --- 1827, "to put into flames," from Vulcan (q.v.), name of the Roman god of fire, + -ize. As a treatment for rubber, first recorded 1846.

vulgar --- 1391, "common, ordinary," from L. vulgaris "of or pertaining to the common people, common, vulgar," from vulgus "the common people, multitude, crowd, throng," from PIE base *wel- "to crowd, throng" (cf. Skt. vargah "division, group," Gk. eilein "to press, throng," M.Bret. gwal'ch "abundance," Welsh gwala "sufficiency, enough"). Meaning "coarse, low, ill-bred" is first recorded 1643, probably from earlier use (with reference to people) with meaning "belonging to the ordinary class" (1530). Vulgarian "rich person of vulgar manners" is recorded from 1804.

vulgarity --- 1579, "the common people," from L.L. vulgaritas "the multitude," from vulgaris (see vulgar). Meaning "coarseness, crudeness" is recorded from 1774.

Vulgate --- 1609, Latin translation of the Bible, especially that completed in 405 by St. Jerome (c.340-420), from M.L. Vulgata, from L.L. vulgata "common, general, ordinary, popular" (in vulgata editio "popular edition"), from L. vulgata, fem. pp. of vulgare "make common or public," from vulgus "the common people" (see vulgar). So called because the translations made the book accessible to the common people of ancient Rome.

vulnerable --- 1605, from L.L. vulnerabilis "wounding," from L. vulnerare "to wound," from vulnus (gen. vulneris) "wound," perhaps related to vellere "pluck, to tear."

vulpine --- pertaining to a fox, fox-like, 1628, from L. vulpinus "of or pertaining to a fox," from vulpes, earlier volpes (gen. vulpis, volpis) "fox," of unknown origin.

vulture --- c.1374, from Anglo-Fr. vultur, O.Fr. voultour, from L. vultur, earlier voltur, perhaps related to vellere "to pluck, to tear." Fig. sense is recorded from 1582.

vulva --- 1548, from L. vulva, earlier volva "womb, female sexual organ," lit. "wrapper," from volvere "to turn, twist, roll, revolve," also "turn over in the mind," from PIE base *wel- "to turn, revolve" (cf. Skt. valate "turns round," ulvam "womb, vulva;" Lith. valtis "twine, net," apvalus "round;" O.C.S. valiti "roll, welter," vluna "wave;" Gk. eluo "wind, wrap," helix "spiral object," eilein "to turn, squeeze;" Goth. walwjan "to roll;" O.E. wealwian "roll," weoloc "whelk, spiral-shelled mollusk;" O.H.G. walzan "to roll, waltz;" O.Ir. fulumain "rolling;" Welsh olwyn "wheel").

VW --- 1958, short for Volkswagen, which is Ger. for "people's car" (see folk + see wagon).

W --- not in the Roman alphabet, but the Mod.Eng. sound it represents is close to the devocalized consonant expressed by Roman -U- or -V-. In O.E., this originally was written -uu-, but by 8c. began to be expressed by the runic character wyn (Kentish wen), which looked something like a cross between lower-case -p- and -y-. In 11c., Norman scribes introduced -w-, a ligatured doubling of Roman -u- which had been used on the continent for the Gmc. "w" sound, and wyn disappeared c.1300.

W.C. --- lavatory, 1954, abbreviation of water closet.

WAC --- 1943, Amer.Eng., acronym from Women's Army Corps, formed 1943.

wacke --- rock resembling sandstone, 1803, from Ger. Wacke, from M.H.G. wacke "a large stone," from O.H.G. wacko "gravel," probably from O.H.G. wegan "to move." A miner's word, brought into geology by Ger. geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner (1750-1817).

wacky --- crazy, eccentric, 1935, variant of whacky (n.) "fool," late 1800s British slang, probably ultimately from whack "a blow, stroke," from the notion of being whacked on the head one too many times. Wack "crazy person" is a 1938 back-formation; extended form wacko is recorded from 1977. Wack in slang sense of "worthless, stupid," is attested from late 1990s.

wad --- 1540, "soft material for padding or stuffing," of uncertain origin, and the different meanings may represent more than one source. Among the possible connections are M.L. wadda, Du. watten, and M.E. wadmal (1392) "woolen cloth," which seems to be from O.N. vaðmal "a woolen fabric of Scandinavia," probably from vað "cloth" + mal "measure." The meaning "bundle of currency" is Amer.Eng., 1778. The verb is first recorded 1579. To shoot (one's) wad "do all one can do" is recorded from 1914. The immediate source of the expression probably is the noun sense of "disk of cloth used to hold powder and shot in place in a gun." Wad in slang sense of "a load of semen" is attested from 1920s, and the expression now often is felt in this sense. As a suffix, -wad in 1980s joined -bag, -ball, -head in combinations meaning "disgusting or unpleasant person."

waddle (v.) --- to walk with short steps, 1592, frequentative of wade. The noun is recorded from 1691.

wade --- O.E. wadan "to go forward, proceed," in poetic use only, except as oferwaden "wade across," from P.Gmc. *wadan (cf. O.N. vaða, Dan. vade, O.Fris. wada, Du. waden, O.H.G. watan, Ger. waten "to wade"), from PIE base *wadh- "to go," found only in Gmc. and L. (cf. L. vadere "to go," vadum "shoal, ford," vadare "to wade"). The notion is of "to advance into water." It. guado, Fr. gué "ford" are Gmc. loan-words. Originally a strong verb (p.t. wod, pp. wad); weak since 16c. Fig. sense of "to go into" (action, battle, etc.) is recorded from c.1374. Waders "waterproof high boots" is from 1841.

wadi --- watercourse, 1839, from Arabic wadi "seasonal watercourse," prop. part. of wada "it flowed."

wafer --- 1368, from Anglo-Fr. wafre, O.N.Fr. waufre "honeycomb, wafer," perhaps from Frankish (cf. Flem. wafer, altered from M.Du. wafel "honeycomb;" see waffle (n.)). Also found in O.Fr. as gaufre, gofre "wafer, waffle." Eucharistic bread first so called 1559.

waffle (n.) --- 1744, from Du. wafel "waffle," from M.Du. or M.L.G. wafel; cognate with O.H.G. waba "honeycomb" (Ger. Wabe) and related to O.H.G. weban, O.E. wefan "to weave" (see weave). Sense of "honeycomb" is preserved in some combinations referring to a weave of cloth. Waffle iron is from 1794.

waffle (v.) --- 1698, "to yelp, bark," frequentative of waff "to yelp" (1610); possibly of imitative origin. Figurative sense of "talk foolishly" (1701) led to that of "vacillate, equivocate" (1803), originally a Scottish and northern Eng. usage.

waft --- 1513, "to carry over water," back-formation from obs. wafter "convoy ship" (1482), from M.Du. or M.L.G. wachter "a guard," from wachten "to guard," related to waken "rouse from sleep" (see wake (1)). The meaning "pass through air or space, float" is first attested 1704, and possibly shows some influence of northern dialect waff "cause to move to and fro" (1513), a variant of wave.

wag (n.) --- person fond of making jokes, 1553, perhaps a shortening of waghalter "gallows bird," person destined to swing in a noose or halter, applied humorously to mischievous children, from wag (v.) + halter. Or possibly directly from wag (v.).

wag (v.) --- c.1225, probably from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. vagga "a cradle," Dan. vugge "rock a cradle," O.Swed. wagga "fluctuate"), and in part from O.E. wagian "move backwards and forwards;" all from P.Gmc. *wagojanan (cf. O.H.G. weggen, Goth. wagjan "to wag"), probably from PIE base *wegh- "to move about" (see weigh). Wagtail is attested from 1510 as a kind of small bird; 18c. as "a harlot," but seems to be implied much earlier:

wage (n.) --- c.1300, "a payment for services rendered," also in M.E. "a pledge of security" (1338), from O.N.Fr. wage (O.Fr. guage) "pledge," from Frank. *wadja- (cf. O.E. wedd, Gothic wadi "pledge"); see wed. Mod.Fr. cognate gages (pl.) means "wages of a domestic," one of a plethora of Fr. words for different classes, e.g. traitement (university professor), paye, salaire (workman), solde (soldier), récompense, prix. The O.E. (and usual Gmc.) word was lean, related to loan (cf. Goth. laun, Du. loon, Ger. lohn)

wage (v.) --- c.1320, "to pledge, deposit as a pledge," from O.N.Fr. wagier (O.Fr. gagier), from wage (see wage (n.)). Meaning "to carry on" (of war, etc.) is attested from 1456, probably from earlier sense of "to offer as a gage of battle" (c.1430).

wager (n.) --- 1303, from Anglo-Fr. wageure, from O.N.Fr. wagier "to pledge" (see wage (n.)). The verb is first recorded 1602.

waggish --- willing to make a fool of oneself, and fond of doing so to others, 1589, see wag (n.).

waggle --- 1440, frequentative of wag (v.). Cf. Du. waggelen "to waggle," O.H.G. wagon "to move, shake," Ger. wackeln "to totter."

wagon --- 1523, from M.Du. wagen, waghen, from P.Gmc. *wagnaz (cf. O.E. wægn, Mod.Eng. wain, O.S., O.H.G. wagan, O.N. vagn, O.Fris. wein, Ger. Wagen), from PIE *woghnos, from *wegh- "to carry, to move" (cf. Skt. vahanam "vessel, ship," Gk. okhos, L. vehiculum, O.C.S. vozu "carriage, chariot," Rus. povozka, Lith. vazis "a small sledge," O.Ir. fen, Welsh gwain "carriage, cart;" see weigh). In Du. and Ger., the general word for "a wheel vehicle;" Eng. use is a result of contact through Flemish immigration, Dutch trade, or the Continental wars. It has largely displaced the native cognate, wain. Spelling preference varied randomly between -g- and -gg- from mid-18c., before Amer.Eng. settled on the etymological wagon, while waggon remained common in Great Britain. Wagon train is attested from 1810. Phrase on the wagon "abstaining from alcohol" is 1904, originally on the water cart.

Wahabi --- 1807, follower of Islamic fundamentalist Abd-el-Wahhab (1691-1787), from his name, with Arabic gen. suffix -i.

wahoo --- type of large marine fish, 1905, of unknown origin.

wah-wah --- 1926, in jazz slang, in ref. to the effect on brass instruments made by manipulating the mute; of imitative origin. Later also in ref. to an electric guitar effect. As an imitation of the sound of a baby crying, it is recorded from 1938. Wah-wah pedal is recorded from 1969. Cf. Chinook jargon wawa "talk, speak, call, ask, sermon, language;" Cree (Algonquian) wehwew "goose," Lenape (Algonquian) wava "snow goose," all probably of imitative origin.

waif --- 1376, "unclaimed property, flotsam, stray animal," from Anglo-Norm. waif, gwaif (1223) "ownerless property," probably from a Scand. source akin to O.N. veif "waving thing, flag," from P.Gmc. *waif-, from PIE *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble ecstatically" (see vibrate). Cf. M.L. waivium "thing thrown away by a thief in flight." A Scot./northern Eng. parallel form was wavenger (1493). Meaning "person (especially a child) without home or friends" first attested 1784, from legal phrase waif and stray (1624). Neglected children being uncommonly thin, the word tended toward this sense. Connotations of "fashionable, small, slender woman" began 1991 with application to childishly slim supermodels such as Kate Moss.

wail (v.) --- c.1330, from O.N. væla "to lament," from væ "woe" (see woe). Of jazz musicians, "to play very well," attested from 1955, Amer.Eng. slang (wailing "excellent" is attested from 1954). The noun is recorded from c.1400.

wain --- O.E. wægn "wheeled vehicle," from P.Gmc. *wagnaz (see wagon). Largely fallen from use by c.1600, but kept alive by poets, who found it easier to rhyme on than wagon. Wainwright "wagon-builder" is O.E. wægn-wyrhta.

wainscot --- 1352, "imported oak of superior quality," probably from M.Du. or M.Flem. waghenscote "superior quality oak wood, board used for paneling" (though neither of these is attested as early as the Eng. word), related to M.L.G. wagenschot (1389), from waghen (see wagon) + scote "partition, crossbar." So called perhaps because the wood originally was used for wagon building and coachwork. Meaning "panels lining the walls of rooms" is recorded from 1548. Wainscoting is from 1580.

waist --- O.E. *wæst "growth," hence, perhaps, "where the body grows," from P.Gmc. *wahs-tu- (cf. O.E. wæstm, O.N. vaxtr, Swed. växt, O.H.G. wahst "growth, increase," Goth. wahstus "stature," O.E. weaxan "to grow" see wax (v.)), from PIE *wegs-, extended form of base *aug- "to increase" (see augment). Meaning "portion of a garment that covers the waist" (but, due to fashion styles, often is above or below it) is from 1650. Waistcoat is attested from 1519. Waistline is attested from 1896.