waistcloth

8.9

A piece of cloth tied around the waist to hold up a skirt or trousers

noun
/ˈweɪstklɔθ/

Archaic

: faja

During the festival, men often wear a simple waistcloth to keep cool in the heat.

Examples

In the market, they sell beautiful waistcloths made from soft cotton fabric.
But no matter how ugly Kaoru is, I won't touch a woman's waistcloth!

Popatopolis (2009)
The traditional outfit consists of a colorful waistcloth that is tied around the waist.

Synonyms

belt

vswaistcloth

642 1.0

A strip of material worn around the waist to hold up clothes

is mainly a cloth band focused on strengthening or holding up skirts and trousers

waistband

vswaistcloth

21 2.5

A strip of cloth sewn around the waist to hold clothes up

is worn or fastened around the middle rather than sewn into clothing

girdle

vswaistcloth

Archaic

17 7.0

A tight piece of underwear worn around the waist to shape the body

is an outer band mainly for strengthening or holding up skirts and trousers

cincture

vswaistcloth

Archaic

9.9

A band of cloth worn around the waist to fasten a robe or dress

is narrower, used mainly to strengthen or hold up skirts and trousers

How Supportive

belt

642 1.0

waistband

21 2.5

waistcloth

Archaic

8.9

drawstring

7 3.7

sash

17 4.0

Surface Forms

waistcloth singular

waistcloths plural

Morphology

waistcloth = waist + cloth (transparent) = waist + cloth

Formed by the clear compound 'waist' + 'cloth': a piece of cloth for the waist, which learners can infer from the components.

Etymology

Waistcloth is simply the two English words waist and cloth joined together: waist means 'the middle of the body' and cloth means 'a piece of fabric'. So a waistcloth is literally a piece of fabric worn 'around the waist' to hold up or decorate clothes, much like a simple belt.