Waste

wast, v. t. To bring to ruin, devastate, destroy; to wear away by degrees, impair gradually; to spread unnece arily or carele ly, employ prodigally, lavish vainly. (Law.) To damage, impair, or injure (an estate) voluntarily, or by suffering the buildings, fences, etc.. to go to decay; to squander, di ipate, lavish, desolate. — v. i. To be diminished, grow le , be consumed by any cause, dwindle, —a. Desolate; devastated; stripped: bare; dreary; dismal; lying unused; of no worth; valuele ; lost for want of occupiers; worthle ; unproductive; wild; uncultivated. — n. Act of wasting, devastating, desolating, squandering, lavishing, expending unnece arily, carele ly, etc.; that which is wasted or desolate; devastated, uncultivated, or wild country; unoccupied or unemployed space; desert; that which is of no value: worthle remnant; refuse. (Law.) Spoil, destruction, or injury, done to houses, woods, fences, lands, etc., by a tenant.— Wast'er, «. One who wastes, lays waste, or devastates; one who squanders property: one who consumes extravagantly or without use. — Waste'ful, -ful, a. Full of waste or that;" destructive which is valuable, to property: without expending nece ity property, or use; lavish; profuse; prodigal; extravagant. — Waste'book, n. (Com.) A book in which rough entries of transactions are made, previous to their being carried into the journal, —-pipe, n. A pipe for conveying off waste' water, etc. sun, cube, full; moon, fotit; cow, oil; linger woch, n. Act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night: opp. to "ward" (watching or guarding by day); one who watches, or those who watch; a sentry; guard; post or office of a watchman; place where he is posted; the period of the night in which one person, or one set of persons, stand as sentinels; a division of the night; a small timepiece or chronometer, to be carried in the pocket. (JS'aut.) An allotted portion of time, usually 4 hours, for watching, or being on dutv; that part of the officers and crew of a ve el who together attend to working her for an allotted time. — v. i. To be awake, be or continue without sleep, keep vigil; to be attentive or vigilant, be on the lookout, keep guard; to be expectant, wait, seek opportunity; to remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant. (Naut.) To float on the surface of the water, as a buoy. — v. t. [watched (wocht), watching.] To give heed to, keep in view, not lose from sight and observation; to tend, guard, have in keeping. — Watch and watch. An arrangement bv which the watches are alternated every 4 hours. — Dog'-watch. (]\7aiit.) A watch of 2 hours, of which there are 2, one fr. 4 to 6, the other fr. 6 to 8 p. m. — Watch'er, n. One who watches; esp., one who attends upon the sick during the night. — Watch'ful, -iul, a. Full oi watch; careful to observe; vigilant; cautious: observant; circumspect; wakeful; heedful. — Watch'fulne , n. State or quality of being watchful: indisposition to sleep; careful and diligent observation for the purpose of preventing or escaping danger, or of avoiding mistakes and misconduct. — Watchrman, n.; pi. -men. One set to watch; a sentinel; one who guards the streets of a city or a building by night, — -dog. n. A dog kept to guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders. — house,?i. A house in which a watch or guard is placed; a police station; a place where persons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a lock-up.— -light, -lit, n. A light used for watching or sitting up in the night; esp., a candle formerlv used for this purpose, having a rush wick. — -night, n. The last night of the year. — observed by YVeslevans, Moravians, and others, who observe it" by holding reli_i us meetings to watch till the end of the old vear.— -tow'er, n. A tower on which a sen watch tinel for is p'laced enemies to or the approach of danger. word, n. The word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a s friend is known from an enemy; a countersign; pa word.