waist

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂weks-“to multiply, increase”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wahstuz“growth, development, stature, build”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wahstu
4. Old English · inherited from*wæst
5. Middle English · inherited fromwast“waist”
6. English todaywaist

Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weks- (“to multiply, increase”). Cognate with Middle English wacste (“growth, increase, might, power”), Middle High German wahst (“growth”), Danish vækst (“growth”), Swedish växt (“growth, development, size”), Icelandic vöxtur (“growth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (wahstus, “growth”). Related to Old English weaxan (“to grow, increase”). More at wax.

Words from the same roots