Middle English Dictionary Entry
wā̆st(e adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | wā̆st(e adj. |
| Etymology | AF/ONF wast(e, vars. of OF gaste; cp. L vastus. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the adj. from wā̆st(e (var. p.ppl. of wā̆sten v.) and, in predicative uses, from wā̆st(e n.(1); a few exx. here could also be construed as the p.ppl. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. west(e adj.
1.
Of land, a country, a place, etc.: uncultivated, wild; uninhabited, desolate; ~ lond.
Associated quotations
- c1300 SLeg.Patr.(LdMisc 108)180 : Heo drowen him…swiþe feor al-a-boute in a waste londe.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)7667 : To þis day Muche lond þer is As al wast & vntuled.
- c1350 MPPsalter (Add 17376)p.186 : He fonde hym in londe forsaken, in hidous stede, and of waste on-hede.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)1 Kings 14.25 : Alle þe comunys of þe land cam in to a waast woodi place.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.51 : Affrica…haþ þe more wildernes and waste londe, for grete…hete of þe sonne, þan Europa.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)246a/b : ‘Saltus’, ‘silua’, and ‘nemus’ beth wyde places, waste and deserte, þat many trees groweþ Inne.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.4386 : No þing stood, allas, þat may be seyn, So outterly þe Grekis hem oppresse, Makyng al waste liche a wyldernesse.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.483 : Priamvs Is…desyrous Vp-on þe pleyn…so waste & wylde…a toun…for to bilde.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3561 : Ai wald þe wise haue wale soile mare þan a wast lee.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)981/3 : Sir Galahad…rode tho into a waste foreyste.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.A.73 : A monke…hadde made hym a selle in a wast grounde.
- a1500 Tundale (Adv 19.3.1)415 : Þey…comen to a grete montayne That was boþe waste & vggely.
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)5655 : He shulde fynde waste cuntrees grete Wher-ynne were neiþer drinke ne mete.
2.
(a) Superfluous, excess; also, excessive; also, prodigal, wasteful;
(b) futile, fruitless; pointless, meaningless; of speech, belief, etc.: idle, vain;
(c) insubstantial, empty; also, ephemeral.
Associated quotations
a
- a1425 Dial.Reason & A.(Cmb Ii.6.39)35/3 : A noble dyuors…departiþ a man fro wast expunses.
- a1450(1410) This holy tyme make (Dgb 102)100 : Þou it spendid in wast outrage.
- (?a1450) Lond.Charterhouse in Archaeol.58301 : The goter of breke for þe waste watre.
- c1450 Spec.Chr.(2) (Hrl 6580)232/16 : Wast ouerspens [SC(1): Prodigalitas] is called largys.
- (c1456) Pecock Faith (Trin-C B.14.45)257 : What is waast, or comberose, and chargeose to a comounte is…to be avoidid.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)75 : Sum supprise wiþ seruil chargis our religioun, þat our Lord Ihu Crist wold to be fre, in so wast halowing of sacramentis, so þat þe condicoun of Jewis is more suffurable.
- a1500(?c1378) Wycl.OPastor.(Ryl Eng 86)435 : It is yuel to kepe a wast hors in stable to destrie pore mennus godis.
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)108/30 : A wast nodell with prolixite shewith anymosite.
- a1500 Jul.D.8 Planting in SN 57 (Jul D.8)26 : The same gouernayll…accordeth to melouns…Whan þou watreste þe rote…and for to breke awey all þe wast braunches þat wol noȝt bere.
b
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)690 : Whan he wist it was wast, al þat he souȝt, he gan to sike and sorwe.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)9660 : Alle ouþer beleue ys wykked and waste.
- a1400 Lament Berkeley (Mid Mi O1)67 : With hors & with herneis hom suld þei hast, Weiloway, wrecche Breteyn, hit wex al wast!
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)19.281 : Ne sholde no scorner…Waste worde of ydelnesse…meue.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)2184 : Haly men thogh[t] þis lyf bot wast, Þarfor þair yhernyng til God was mast.
- c1440(?a1400) St.John (Thrn)64 : Thi chere was full chaste Fro werkes all waste, Noghte assentand to syn.
- c1450 Whanne marye was greet (Lamb 853)246 : It is but waast to speken so.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)34.109 (v.1:p.248) : Amonge al these vertues to preysen chastite in hir were but a wast werk.
- (1465) Paston (EETS)1.314 : As for any jndytementes that we schuld labor a-yenst them, it is but wast werk, for the scheryf…wol no thyng do a-yenst them.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.A.1569 : She spak wordis vayne and waaste Therof euell thought can arise.
- a1500 Arth.& M.(Dc 236)290/324 : He hym bysegede mounthys ten, But al was wast, he come nouȝt in.
c
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)5.1018 : O pompe, o bost of tryumphe & victorie, Liche a shadewe wast & transitorie!
- (1440) Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)2391 : He loked and gan behold A wondir schadow, derk of schap, alle wast.
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)157/16 : I trowe oure wittis be waste as wynde.
3.
Enfeebled, shriveled.
Associated quotations
- a1500 Cmb.Diseases Horse (Cmb Ll.1.18)84 : The horse eyen wex lytyll and small and waste, and sum men clepe hit pore blynd.
4.
Invalid, void.
Associated quotations
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Gen.17.14 : He haþ made my couenaunt wast.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1400 St.Alex.(2) (Trin-O 57)53/334 : Ofte hy hime bete and burste, Þat þe lord þer-of nuste, Þo unlede fode; Þeȝ clepude him 'waste bred' And weste þat he wer ded.
Note: Quot. belongs under wast(e adj., which does not supply an appropriate definition for the collocation here, namely, 'leftover bread' (perhaps 'stale bread' or more generally, 'table scraps'). Context: St. Alexis lives unrecognized at his fathers house, sleeping under the stairs and eating table scraps. The servants make fun of him by calling him 'waste bread'.--per MLL.
Note: waste here describes something that is thrown away or worthless. ~ bred could be translated as 'table scraps,' used here as a term of abuse. See bred n.(1), sense 4. The collocation best fits under sense 2.(b)--"~ bred, as term of abuse: table scraps.--per MLL
Note: [L: Jube me suscipi in domo tua, ut pascor de micis mensae tuae]--spoken by St. Alexis. "Micis" = "on the crumbs, morsels (of your table)"
Note: [Fr: Soz le degret..Iluec paist l'um del relef de la table..Tuz l'escarnissent, s'il tenent pur bricun; L'egua li getent, si moilent sun linçol.] "Relef de la table" = "table scraps".