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wash·wom·an noun : WASHERWOMAN

washy adjective wash·i·er; -est 1 : WEAK, WATERY

2 : PALLID

3 : lacking in vigor, individuality, or definiteness

wasp noun : any of numerous social or solitary winged insects related to the bees and ants with biting mouthparts and in females and workers an often formidable sting

WASP or Wasp noun [ORIGIN: white Anglo-Saxon Protestant]

: an American of northern European and esp. British ancestry and of Protestant background

wasp·ish adjective 1 : easily irritated : IRRITABLE

2 : resembling a wasp in form; especially : slightly built

Synonyms

choleric, crabby, cranky, cross, crotchety, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, irritable, peevish, perverse, petulant, short-tempered, snappish, snappy, snippy, testy—more at IRRITABLE

wasp waist noun : a very slender waist

1wassail noun [ORIGIN: ME wæs hæil, washayl, fr. ON ves heill be well]

1 : an early English toast to someone's health

2 : a hot drink made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usu. baked apples and traditionally served at Christmas

3 : a period of riotous drinking

2wassail verb 1 : CAROUSE

2 : to drink to the health of

— was·sail·er noun

Was·ser·mann test noun : a blood test for the detection of syphilis

wast·age noun : loss, decrease, or destruction of something (as by use, decay, erosion, or leakage)

Synonyms

annihilation, demolition, desolation, destruction, devastation, havoc, loss, obliteration, ruin, wreckage—more at DESTRUCTION

1waste noun 1 : a sparsely settled or barren region : DESERT; also : uncultivated land

2 a : the act or an instance of wasting : the state of being wasted

b : useless or profitless consumption or expenditure

3 : gradual loss or decrease by use, wear, or decay

4 : material left over, rejected, or thrown away; also : an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing or chemical process

5 : refuse (as garbage) that accumulates about habitations

6 : material (as feces) produced but not used by a living organism

Synonyms

[1] barren, desert, desolation, wasteland—more at WASTELAND

[4] chaff, deadwood, dust, garbage, junk, litter, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, trash—more at GARBAGE

[6] droppings, slops—more at DROPPINGS

2waste verb wast·ed; wast·ing 1 : to damage or destroy gradually and progressively : DEVASTATE

2 : to wear away or diminish gradually : CONSUME

3 : to spend or use carelessly or uselessly : SQUANDER

4 : to lose or cause to lose weight, strength, or energy

5 : to become diminished in bulk or substance : DWINDLE

Synonyms

[1] annihilate, blot out, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, exterminate, extinguish, obliterate, pulverize, ruin, shatter, smash, tear down, wipe out, wreck—more at DESTROY

[3] blow, dissipate, fritter, lavish, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away; also splurge; consume, deplete, exhaust, impoverish; indulge, overindulge; disburse, expend, lay out

Antonyms

conserve

[4] debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, prostrate, sap, soften, tire, weaken—more at WEAKEN

usually waste away [4] decay, droop, fail, flag, go, lag, languish, sag, weaken, wilt—more at WEAKEN

3waste adjective 1 : being wild and uninhabited : BARREN; also : UNCULTIVATED

2 : being in a ruined condition

3 : discarded as worthless after being used <~ water>

4 : excreted from or stored in inert form in a living organism as a by-product of vital activity <~ matter from birds>

waste·bas·ket noun : a receptacle for refuse

wast·ed adjective : showing or feeling the effects of wasting

Synonyms

cadaverous, gaunt, haggard, skeletal

waste·ful adjective : given to or marked by lack of thrift or careful use

— waste·ful·ly adverb

Synonyms

extravagant, prodigal, profligate, spendthrift, thriftless, unthrifty—more at PRODIGAL

waste·ful·ness noun : the quality of fact of being wasteful

Synonyms

extravagance, lavishness, prodigality—more at EXTRAVAGANCE

waste·land noun : land that is barren or unfit for cultivation

Synonyms