waste
UK: weɪst | US: weɪst
n. 1. Unwanted or unusable material; refuse.
n. 2. A neglected or unproductive area of land.
vt. 1. To use or expend carelessly or without purpose.
vt. 2. To cause physical or emotional deterioration.
waste = wast<desolate> + e (silent suffix)
- wast (from Old French wast, meaning "desolate" or "uncultivated," derived from Latin vastus "empty, desolate").
- e (a silent suffix in Modern English, often added for spelling conventions).
Etymology Origin:
The word "waste" traces back to the Latin vastus, meaning "empty" or "desolate," which entered Old French as wast. In Middle English, it evolved to describe both unproductive land and the act of squandering resources. The dual meaning reflects the concept of emptiness—whether literal (barren land) or figurative (useless expenditure).
The factory dumped toxic waste into the river.
He wasted his inheritance on frivolous purchases.
The desert is a vast expanse of waste.
Don’t waste time on trivial matters.
The abandoned lot became a waste overgrown with weeds.