2. That which is wasted or desolate; a devastated, uncultivated, or
wild country; a deserted region; an unoccupied or unemployed space; a
dreary void; a desert; a wilderness. "The wastes of Nature." Emerson.
All the leafy nation sinks at last, And Vulcan rides in triumph o'er
the waste.
Dryden.
The gloomy waste of waters which bears his name is his tomb and his
monument.
Bancroft.
3. That which is of no value; worthless remnants; refuse. Specifically:
Remnants of cops, or other refuse resulting from the working of cotton,
wool, hemp, and the like, used for wiping machinery, absorbing oil in
the axle boxes of railway cars, etc.
4. (Law) Spoil, destruction, or injury, done to houses, woods, fences,
lands, etc., by a tenant for life or for years, to the prejudice of the
heir, or of him in reversion or remainder.
Waste is voluntary, as by pulling down buildings; or permissive, as by
suffering them to fall for want of necessary repairs. Whatever does a
lasting damage to the freehold is a waste. Blackstone.
5. (Mining) Old or abandoned workings, whether left as vacant space or
filled with refuse.
Syn. — Prodigality; diminution; loss; dissipation; destruction;
devastation; havoc; desolation; ravage.
Waste"bas`ket (?), n. A basket used in offices, libraries, etc., as a
receptacle for waste paper.
Waste"board` (?), n. (Naut.) See Washboard, 3.
Waste"book` (?), n. (Com.) A book in which rough entries of
transactions are made, previous to their being carried into the
journal.
Waste"ful (?), a. 1. Full of waste; destructive to property; ruinous;
as, wasteful practices or negligence; wasteful expenses.
2. Expending, or tending to expend, property, or that which is
valuable, in a needless or useless manner; lavish; prodigal; as, a
wasteful person; a wasteful disposition.