A small open container, usually placed under a desk or in a room, used to hold trash or discarded paper.
Compound word combining 'waste' (from Old Norse 'vast,' meaning 'to spoil') and 'basket' (from Old English 'bæsket'). The term became common in American English in the late 19th century as offices and homes needed compact trash containers.
Before the wastebasket became standard, people literally threw trash out windows or onto the street—the invention of this simple container actually changed public hygiene and helped reduce disease in cities!
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