From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Washing \Wash"ing\, n.
1. The act of one who washes; the act of cleansing with
water; ablution.
[1913 Webster]
2. The clothes washed, esp. at one time; a wash.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Mining) Gold dust procured by washing; also, a place
where this is done; a washery.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
4. A thin covering or coat; as, a washing of silver.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
5. (Stock Exchanges) The operation of simultaneously buying
and selling the same stock for the purpose of manipulating
the market. The transaction is fictitious, and is
prohibited by stock-exchange rules.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
6. (Pottery) The covering of a piece with an infusible
powder, which prevents it from sticking to its supports,
while receiving the glaze.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Washing bear (Zool.), the raccoon.
Washing bottle (Chem.), a bottle fitted with glass tubes
passing through the cork, so that on blowing into one of
the tubes a stream of water issuing from the other may be
directed upon anything to be washed or rinsed, as a
precipitate upon a filter, etc.
Washing fluid, a liquid used as a cleanser, and consisting
usually of alkaline salts resembling soaps in their
action.
Washing machine, a machine for washing; specifically, a
machine for washing clothes.
Washing soda. (Chem.) See Sodium carbonate, under
Sodium.
Washing stuff, any earthy deposit containing gold enough to
pay for washing it; -- so called among gold miners.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Appliance \Ap*pli"ance\, n.
1. The act of applying; application.
[1913 Webster]
2. subservience; compliance. [Obs.] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. A thing applied or used as a means to an end; an apparatus
or device; as, to use various appliances; a mechanical
appliance; a machine with its appliances.
[1913 Webster]
4. Specifically: An apparatus or device, usually powered
electrically, used in homes to perform domestic functions.
An appliance is often categorized as a major appliance or
a minor appliance by its cost. Common major appliances are
the refrigerator, washing machine, clothes drier,
oven, and dishwasher. Some minor appliances are a
toaster, vacuum cleaner or microwave oven.
[PJC]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
washing machine
n 1: a home appliance for washing clothes and linens
automatically [syn: washer, automatic washer, {washing
machine}]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
washing machine
<storage> An old-style 14-inch hard disk in a floor-standing
cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the
"top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they
were always set on "spin cycle". The thick channel cables
connecting these were called "bit hoses". The
washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even
used in Russian hacker jargon.
See also walking drives.
(1995-02-15)
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
washing machine
n.
1. Old-style 14-inch hard disks in floor-standing cabinets. So called
because of the size of the cabinet and the `top-loading' access to the
media packs -- and, of course, they were always set on `spin cycle'.
The washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even
used in Russian hacker jargon. See also walking drives. The thick
channel cables connecting these were called bit hoses (see hose,
sense 3).
2. [CMU] A machine used exclusively for washing software. CMU has
clusters of these.