The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

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]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

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]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

washing machine
    n 1: a home appliance for washing clothes and linens
         automatically [syn: washer, automatic washer, washing
         machine]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

33 Moby Thesaurus words for "washing machine":
   aquamanile, automatic dishwasher, basin, bath, bathtub, bidet,
   dishpan, dishwasher, ewer, finger bowl, kitchen sink, lavabo,
   lavatory, piscina, shower, shower bath, shower curtain,
   shower head, shower room, shower stall, showers, sink, tub,
   wash barrel, wash boiler, washbasin, washbowl, washdish, washer,
   washing pot, washpot, washstand, washtub



The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

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).

    [76-02-14]

    2. [CMU] A machine used exclusively for washing software. CMU has
    clusters of these.


The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

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)