Definition of waster

The origin of the word "waster" can be traced back to the Middle English verb "wasten," which means "to use up or consume uselessly." The noun form, "waster," came into use during the 16th century. Until then, a similar spelling "wastor" was used to refer to someone who wasted resources, typically a nobleman who mismanaged his estates. The modern meaning of "waster" is someone or something that is wasted or deemed useless or unwanted. Initially, the term applied broadly to anything that was thrown away or expended in vain. Over time, it came to describe a specific type of waste, namely human beings deemed worthless or undesirable, particularly the poorest and most destitute members of society. In many historical texts, "waster" was used as a pejorative term, particularly in the context of poverty and social inequality. For example, the 16th-century writer Thomas Manners used the term in his dialogue "Incidents," referring to those "required to live by alms" as "first wasters." The term was frequently used in the context of sin and vice, as in Matthew Henry's "Exposition of the Old and New Testaments Of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" in which he laments the fact that "carnal corruptions are too many ways inclining men to manifest wasters, and occasions of scandals." In contemporary usage, "waster" still has negative connotations but is less frequently used outside of specific contexts, such as in circles discussing drug addiction, where the term is used to describe someone who is recklessly wasting drugs or other resources. However, it remains a useful word to understand in terms of its historical context, particularly as a reminder of the social inequalities and prejudices that have long existed within our societies.