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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English wast , waste ( “ a waste ” , noun ) , from Anglo-Norman , Old Northern French wast , waste ( “ a waste ” ) , from Frankish *wōstī ( “ a waste ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *wōstaz ,[ 1] *wōstuz ,[ 2] from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- ( “ empty, wasted ” ) .
Displaced native Old English essian and strȳndan . Largely overtook Old English forspillan and weste .
Noun
waste (countable and uncountable , plural wastes )
Excess of material, useless by-products , or damaged , unsaleable products ; garbage ; rubbish .
Excrement or urine .
The cage was littered with animal waste .
A wasteland ; an uninhabited desolate region ; a wilderness or desert .
A place that has been laid waste or destroyed .
A large tract of uncultivated land.
( historical ) The part of the land of a manor (of whatever size) not used for cultivation or grazing , nowadays treated as common land .
A vast expanse of water .
A disused mine or part of one.
The action or progress of wasting ; extravagant consumption or ineffectual use.
That was a waste of time!
Her life seemed a waste .
2023 March 22, Mike Esbester, “Staff, the public and industry will suffer”, in RAIL , number 979 , page 39 :'Rebel railwaymen' at Birmingham New Street refused to wear the new uniforms on the grounds that they were a "complete waste of public money".
Large abundance of something, specifically without it being used.
Gradual loss or decay .
A decaying of the body by disease ; atrophy ; wasting away .
( rare ) Destruction or devastation caused by war or natural disasters ; see "to lay waste ".
( law ) A cause of action which may be brought by the owner of a future interest in property against the current owner of that property to prevent the current owner from degrading the value or character of the property, either intentionally or through neglect .
( geology ) Material derived by mechanical and chemical erosion from the land, carried by streams to the sea .
Derived terms
Descendants
→ Japanese: ウエス ( uesu )
→ Wu: 違司 / 违司 ( we⁶-sy¹ )
Translations
useless by-products, garbage
Azerbaijani: tullantı
Bulgarian: отпадък (bg) m ( otpadǎk )
Czech: odpad (cs) m
Danish: affald (da) n
Dutch: afval (nl) , rommel (nl) , vuil (nl)
Esperanto: rubo
Finnish: jäte (fi)
French: (please verify ) ordures (fr) f pl , (please verify ) déchets (fr) m pl
German: Müll (de) m , Abfall (de) m , Ausschuss (de) m
Greek: απόρριμμα (el) n ( apórrimma ) , σκουπίδι (el) n ( skoupídi )
Hebrew: אבטלה (he) f ( avtalah )
Hungarian: hulladék (hu)
Icelandic: drasl (is) n , rusl (is) n , sorp (is) n
Irish: dríodar m
Italian: rifiuto (it) m , scarto (it) m , immondizia (it) f (garbage)
Japanese: ゴミ (ja) ( gomi )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: paşmayî (ku) f
Latin: eiectamenta n pl
Latvian: atkritumi m pl
Luxembourgish: Offall (lb) m , Dreck m
Malayalam: മാലിന്യം (ml) ( mālinyaṁ )
Maori: karaweta , paraweta , paranga , weta
Middle English: wast
Nepali: फोहोर ( phohor ) , फोहर ( phohar ) , कचरा ( kacarā ) , कचर (ne) ( kacar )
Plautdietsch: Aufgank m
Polish: śmieci pl
Portuguese: lixo (pt) m , refugo (pt) m , dejeto (pt) m
Romanian: deșeu (ro) n , gunoi (ro) n , rest (ro) n
Russian: отбро́сы (ru) m pl ( otbrósy )
Scottish Gaelic: call m , sgudal m
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: otpad (sh) , smeće
Spanish: desperdicio (es) m , desecho (s) m or m pl , basura (es) f , acribaduras (es) f pl , ahechadura (s) f or f pl , echadura (s) f or f pl
Swedish: skräp (sv) , avfall (sv)
Tagalog: basura (tl)
Telugu: చెత్త (te) ( cetta )
Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: atık (tr)
Ukrainian: відхо́ди m pl ( vidxódy ) , уті́ль ( utílʹ ) , сміття́ n ( smittjá )
waste land, desolate region
Bulgarian: пу́стош (bg) f ( pústoš )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 荒地 (zh) ( huāngdì )
Danish: ødemark
Dutch: woestenij (nl)
Finnish: joutomaa (fi) ; erämaa (fi) ( wilderness ) , autiomaa (fi) ( desert )
French: terrain vague (fr) m , terre en friche f , stérile (fr) m
Galician: deserto (gl) m
German: Einöde (de) f
Hungarian: pusztaság (hu) , puszta (hu) , sivatag (hu)
Italian: landa (it)
Japanese: 荒れ地 ( arechi )
Maori: tuakau
Middle English: wast
Portuguese: deserto (pt) m , ermo (pt) m
Romanian: deșert (ro) n , pustietate (ro) f
Russian: пу́стошь (ru) f ( pústošʹ )
Sanskrit: मरु (sa) m ( maru )
Spanish: baldío (es) m , terreno baldío m , descampado (es) m , yermo (es) m , páramo (es) m , erial (es) m , andurrial m
Swedish: ödemark (sv)
Tagalog: desyerto , ulila
Welsh: diffeithdir m
place that has been laid waste
large tract of uncultivated land
historical: unused part of the land of a manor
action of wasting, ineffective use
Azerbaijani: israf , israfçılıq , bədxərclik , nahaq yerə sərf etmə , əbəs yerə sərf edilmə
Bulgarian: загуба (bg) f ( zaguba ) , прахосване (bg) n ( prahosvane )
Catalan: malbaratament (ca) m , pèrdua (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 浪費 / 浪费 (zh) ( làngfèi )
Danish: spild n
Dutch: verkwisting (nl) , verspilling (nl)
Finnish: tuhlaus
French: gaspillage (fr) m
German: Verschwendung (de) f , Vergeudung f
Hebrew: אבטלה (he) f ( avtalah )
Hungarian: pazarlás (hu) , pocsékolás (hu)
Ido: eceso (io)
Irish: vásta m
Italian: spreco (it) m , sciupio (it) m , scialacquio (it) m , scialo (it) m , dispendio (it) m
Japanese: 無駄 (ja) ( むだ, muda ) , 無駄使い ( むだづかい, muda-zukai ) , 浪費 (ja) ( ろうひ, rōhi )
Korean: 낭비 (ko) ( nangbi ) ( South Korea ) , 랑비 (ko) ( rangbi ) ( North Korea )
Luxembourgish: Verschwendung f
Middle English: wast
Portuguese: desperdício (pt) m
Romanian: irosire (ro) f , pierdere (ro) f
Russian: растра́та (ru) f ( rastráta ) , тра́та (ru) f ( tráta )
Scottish Gaelic: call m , ana-caitheamh m , cosg m
Spanish: desperdicio (es) m , derroche (es) m , pérdida (es) f
Swedish: spill (sv) , slöseri (sv) n
Tagalog: aksaya (tl) , sayang (tl)
Turkish: kayıp (tr)
Uyghur: زايا ( zaya )
large abundance of something
decaying of the body by disease
— see also atrophy
destruction or devastation caused by war or natural disaster
legal: cause of action against degrading the value or character of a property
geology: material derived by erosion and carried to the sea
Translations to be checked
Adjective
waste (comparative more waste , superlative most waste )
( MTE , slang , derogatory ) Useless and contemptible .
2017 March 18, “Free Smoke”, in More Life , performed by Drake :Niggas moves so waste / Please, come outside the house and show yourself / So I can say it to your face
2022 September 22, “ONTARIO PLACE”, in BADMAN , performed by Bert Le Plug:Waste / Don't talk to me / You're so waste
Derived terms
References
^ Vladimir Orel (2003 ) “*wōstaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology , Leiden, Boston: Brill , →ISBN , page 470
^ Guus Kroonen (2013 ) “*wōstu-”, in Alexander Lubotsky , editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11 ) , Leiden, Boston: Brill , →ISBN , page 593 : “*ueh₂s-tu- ”
Etymology 2
From Middle English wast , waste ( “ waste ” , adjective ) , from Anglo-Norman , Old Northern French wast ( “ waste ” ) , from Frankish *wōstī ( “ waste, empty ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- ( “ empty, wasted ” ) . Cognate with Old High German wuosti , wuasti ( “ waste, empty ” ) , German wüst , Old Saxon wōsti ( “ desolate ” ) , Old English wēste ( “ waste, barren, desolate, empty ” ) .
Adjective
waste (comparative more waste , superlative most waste )
( now rare ) Uncultivated , uninhabited .
1485 , Sir Thomas Malory , “xvij ”, in Le Morte Darthur , book XIII:SOo whanne syr Galahad was departed from the castel of maydens / he rode tyl he came to a waste forest / & there he mette with syre launcelot and syr Percyuale but they knewe hym not / for he was newe desguysed / Ryghte so syr launcelot his fader dressid his spere and brake it vpon syr Galahad (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Barren ; desert ; empty .
1850 , [Alfred, Lord Tennyson ], In Memoriam , London: Edward Moxon , , →OCLC , Canto III:‘The stars,’ she whispers, ‘blindly run; A web is wov’n across the sky; From out waste places comes a cry, And murmurs from the dying sun: […]
2009 , Diarmaid MacCulloch , A History of Christianity , Penguin, published 2010 , page 255 :For centuries the shrine at Mecca had been of merely local importance, far outshone by the Temple of the Jews in Jerusalem, whose cult Christians had in good measure renewed by their pilgrimage in honour of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, while leaving the actual site of the Jerusalem Temple dishonoured and waste .
Rejected as being defective ; eliminated as being worthless ; produced in excess .
2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke , “In the News ”, in American Scientist :Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.
Superfluous ; needless .
Dismal; gloomy; cheerless.
Unfortunate ; disappointing . (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Usage notes
Same meanings as wasted .
Derived terms
Translations
barren
Bulgarian: пустинен (bg) ( pustinen ) , необработен (bg) ( neobraboten )
Dutch: woest (nl) , braakliggend (nl)
Finnish: karu (fi)
German: wüst (de) , öde (de) , brach (de)
Hungarian: puszta (hu) , kietlen (hu)
Ido: nekultivita (io)
Italian: incolto (it) , deserto (it) , arido (it)
Japanese: 荒れた ( areta )
Middle English: wast
Romanian: deșert (ro) , pustiu (ro) , sterp (ro)
Scottish Gaelic: fàs
Swedish: öde (sv)
Tagalog: baog , tigang (tl) , pagang
Ukrainian: пу́стка f ( pústka )
Etymology 3
From Middle English wasten ( “ to waste, lay waste ” ) , from Anglo-Norman , Old Northern French waster ( “ to waste, devastate ” ) (compare also the variant gaster and French gâter from a related Old French word); the Anglo-Norman form waster was either from Frankish *wōstijan ( “ to waste ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *wāsto- ( “ empty, wasted ” ) , or alternatively from Latin vastāre and influenced by the Frankish; the English word was assisted by similarity to native Middle English westen ( "to waste"; > English weest ) . Cognate with Old High German wuostan , wuastan , wuostjan ( “ to waste ” ) (Modern German wüsten ), Old English wēstan ( “ to lay waste, ravage ” ) .
Verb
waste (third-person singular simple present wastes , present participle wasting , simple past and past participle wasted )
( transitive ) To devastate ; to destroy .
1697 , Virgil , “Aeneis”, in John Dryden , transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. , London: Jacob Tonson , , →OCLC :The Tiber / Insults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds.
( transitive ) To squander (money or resources) uselessly ; to spend (time) idly .
We wasted millions of dollars and several years on that project.
c. 1598–1600 (date written) , William Shakespeare , “As You Like It ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , , lines 812–813 :I like this place, / And willingly could waste my time in it.
2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track ”, in The Economist , volume 407 , number 8838 , page 13 (Technology Quarterly):A “moving platform” scheme [ …] is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. [ …] This set-up solves several problems […]. Stopping high-speed trains wastes energy and time, so why not simply slow them down enough for a moving platform to pull alongside?
1909 , Francis Galton , Memories of my life , page 69 :E. Kay (1822-1897), afterwards Lord Justice of Appeal, had rooms on the same staircase as myself, and we wasted a great deal of time together, both in term and in my second summer vacation. .
( transitive , slang ) To kill ; to murder .
( transitive ) To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to deteriorate ; to diminish by constant loss; to use up ; to consume ; to spend; to wear out .
1769 , William Robertson , The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V . , volume (please specify |volume=I to III) , London: W. and W. Strahan, for W Strahan , T Cadell , ; and J. Balfour, , →OCLC :Wasted by such a course of life, the infirmities of age daily grew on him.
( intransitive ) To gradually lose weight , weaken , become frail .
( intransitive ) To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value etc. gradually.
( law ) To damage, impair, or injure (an estate, etc.) voluntarily, or by allowing the buildings, fences, etc., to fall into decay.
Conjugation
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
Asturian: españar
Bulgarian: развалям (bg) ( razvaljam ) , опустошавам (bg) ( opustošavam )
Catalan: destruir (ca)
Dutch: verwoesten (nl)
Estonian: raiskama (et)
Finnish: tuhota (fi)
French: détruire (fr) , dévaster (fr)
German: verwüsten (de)
Italian: distruggere (it) , devastare (it)
Japanese: 潰す (ja) ( tsubusu )
Latgalian: sajaukt , izgubeit
Latvian: izpostīt , izputināt
Middle English: wasten
Portuguese: destruir (pt) , devastar (pt)
Romanian: distruge (ro) , devasta (ro)
Russian: разрушать (ru) ( razrušatʹ ) , разорять (ru) ( razorjatʹ ) , опустошать (ru) ( opustošatʹ )
Swedish: ödelägga (sv) , föröda (sv)
Tagalog: sirain , wasakin , gibain , puksain , lipulin , pinsalain , buwagin , iwalat , gunawing , pagtalikupan , ilugso , matupok , ilagpag , tibagin (tl) , iguho , lumansag , paguhuin
Ukrainian: спусто́шувати ( spustóšuvaty )
to squander
Armenian: վատնել (hy) ( vatnel )
Bulgarian: прахосвам (bg) ( prahosvam ) , пилея (bg) ( pileja )
Catalan: malgastar (ca) , malbaratar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 浪費 / 浪费 (zh) ( làngfèi ) , 白費 / 白费 (zh) ( báifèi )
Dutch: verspillen (nl) , verkwisten (nl) , vermorsen (nl) , verdoen (nl) , verklungelen (nl)
Esperanto: malŝpari
Finnish: hukata (fi) , tuhlata (fi)
French: gaspiller (fr) , gâcher (fr) , perdre (fr)
German: verschwenden (de) , vergeben (de) , verschenken (de) , vergeuden (de)
Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 ( distahjan )
Hungarian: pazarol (hu) , elveszteget (hu)
Ingrian: mänettää
Irish: meath , meil ( time )
Italian: sperperare (it) , sprecare (it)
Japanese: 無駄にする ( muda ni suru ) , ふいにする ( fui ni suru )
Khmer: ខ្ជះខ្ជាយ (km) ( khcĕəh khciəy )
Korean: 낭비하다 (ko) ( nangbihada )
Lao: ຜານ ( phān )
Latin: prōdigō
Latvian: izšķiest
Maori: maumau , tōtōa
Middle English: wasten
Ngazidja Comorian: ulatsa
Norwegian:
Bokmål: ødsle (no) , ødsle bort (no) , forspille , sløse bort (no) , skusle bort , sette over styr (no)
Old English: forspillan
Oromo: baraaxuu
Polish: marnować (pl)
Portuguese: desperdiçar (pt)
Romanian: irosi (ro) , pierde (ro) , risipi (ro)
Russian: тра́тить (ru) impf ( trátitʹ ) , транжи́рить (ru) impf ( tranžíritʹ ) , расточа́ть (ru) impf ( rastočátʹ )
Spanish: malgastar (es) , desperdiciar (es)
Swedish: förspilla (sv) , förslösa (sv) , slösa (sv) ,öda (sv)
Tagalog: sayangin , maglustay , iwaldas , aksayahin , mag-aksaya
Telugu: వృధా చేయు ( vr̥dhā cēyu )
Thai: เสีย (th) ( sǐia ) , เสียเปล่า , ผลาญ (th) ( plǎan )
Turkish: harcamak (tr) , çarçur etmek (tr)
Ukrainian: витрача́ти ( vytračáty ) , тра́тити ( trátyty ) , марнотра́тити ( marnotrátyty )
Walloon: furler (wa) , kischirer (wa)
slang: to kill
Bulgarian: убивам (bg) ( ubivam )
Dutch: koud maken (nl)
Finnish: listiä (fi)
French: tuer (fr)
German: töten (de) , kalt machen (Slang)
Italian: uccidere (it) , ammazzare (it) , fare fuori (it)
Middle English: wasten
Portuguese: matar (pt)
Romanian: ucide (ro) , omorî (ro)
Russian: гро́хать (ru) impf ( gróxatʹ ) , гро́хнуть (ru) pf ( gróxnutʹ ) , укоко́шить (ru) pf ( ukokóšitʹ ) , ко́кнуть (ru) pf ( kóknutʹ ) , замочи́ть (ru) pf ( zamočítʹ )
Swedish: spilla (sv) , förspilla (sv)
Tagalog: patayin , puksain , kitilin , likidahin , ligpitin
Translations to be checked
See also
Anagrams
Dutch
Pronunciation
Verb
waste
inflection of wassen :
singular past indicative
( dated or formal ) singular past subjunctive
Middle English
Etymology 1
Adjective
waste
Alternative form of wast ( “ waste (adjective) ” )
Inflection of wast ( “ waste (adjective) ” ) :
weak singular
strong / weak plural
Etymology 2
Noun
waste
Alternative form of wast ( “ waste (noun) ” )
Etymology 3
Adjective
waste
Alternative form of wast ( “ waist ” )
Etymology 4
Verb
waste
Alternative form of wast ( verb form )
Etymology 5
Verb
waste
Alternative form of wasten
Tocharian B
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
waste ?
refuge , sanctuary
West Flemish
Etymology
Noun derived from the verb wassen ( “ to wash ” )
Noun
waste f
laundry , clothes that need to be washed, or just have been washed.