waistcloth

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

waist cloth, waist-cloth

Etymology

[edit]

From waist +‎ cloth.

Noun

[edit]

waistcloth (plural waistcloths)

  1. A cloth or garment worn around the waist.
    • 1791, Alexandre (fils) Dumas, The Son of Clemenceau[1]:
      Two rows of slate beds, three of which only were occupied; two men and a boy, nude save a waistcloth; over their heads--sluggishly swayed by the air the new-comer had carelessly admitted--their clothes were hung like shapeless shadows.
    • 1897, Frank T. Bullen, The Cruise of the Cachalot[2]:
      He was dressed in all the dignity of a woollen shirt, with a piece of fine "tapa" for a waistcloth, feet and legs bare.
    • 1916, Joseph Altsheler, The Hunters of the Hills[3]:
      Fresh leaves had been stripped from a bush and a tiny fragment or two indicated that the Ojibway had torn a piece from his deerskin waistcloth to fasten over the leaves.
  2. (nautical, historical) A covering of canvas or tarpaulin for the hammocks, stowed on the nettings, between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.

References

[edit]