The band of fabric at the waist of pants, skirts, or other clothing that holds them up and keeps them in place.
From 'waist' (from Middle English, possibly from Old Norse 'vǽstr' meaning 'to bind') combined with 'band' (from Proto-Germanic 'bandiz'). It's a straightforward compound word describing the functional band at the waist.
The elastic waistband was invented in the 1950s and revolutionized children's clothing because kids could actually get their own pants on—before that, all pants used buttons, zippers, or suspenders that required adult help.
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