Marys mother - if that was her picture - may have been a wastrel in her spare time (she had thirteen children by a minister of the church), but if so her gay and dissipated life had left too few traces of its pleasures on her face.
Wikipedia foundation.
Wastrel — Wast rel, n. 1. Any waste thing or substance; as: (a) Waste land or common land. [Obs.] Carew. (b) A profligate. [Prov. Eng.] (c) A neglected child; a street Arab. [Eng.] [1913 Webster] 2. Anything cast away as bad or useless, as imperfect bricks … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wastrel — index degenerate, derelict Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
wastrel — spendthrift, idler, 1847, from WASTE (Cf. waste) (v.) + pejorative suffix REL (Cf. rel) … Etymology dictionary
wastrel — *spendthrift, profligate, prodigal, waster Analogous words: reprobate, *outcast: loafer, idler, lounger (see corresponding verbs at IDLE): scoundrel, rascal, rogue, scamp (see VILLAIN) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
wastrel — ► NOUN literary ▪ a wasteful or worthless person. ORIGIN originally denoting a strip of waste land … English terms dictionary
wastrel — [wās′trəl] n. [dim. of WASTER] 1. a person who wastes; esp., a spendthrift 2. GOOD FOR NOTHING … English World dictionary
wastrel — [[t]we͟ɪstrəl[/t]] wastrels N COUNT If you describe someone as a wastrel you mean that they are lazy and spend their time and money on foolish things. [LITERARY] Her father wouldn t let her marry a wastrel … English dictionary
wastrel — UK [ˈweɪstrəl] / US noun [countable] Word forms wastrel : singular wastrel plural wastrels literary a lazy person who wastes time or money … English dictionary
wastrel — noun Etymology: irregular from 2waste Date: circa 1841 1. vagabond, waif 2. one who expends resources foolishly and self indulgently ; profligate … New Collegiate Dictionary
wastrel — /way streuhl/, n. 1. a wasteful person; spendthrift. 2. Chiefly Brit. a. refuse; waste. b. a waif; abandoned child. c. an idler or good for nothing. [1580 90; WASTE + REL] * * * … Universalium
