Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Washing \Wash"ing\, n.
   1. The act of one who washes; the act of cleansing with
      water; ablution.

   2. The clothes washed, esp. at one time; a wash.

   {Washing bear} (Zo["o]l.), 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.

Source : WordNet®

washing machine
     n : a home appliance for washing clothes and linens
         automatically [syn: {washer}, {automatic washer}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

washing machine
     
         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)