Weight

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Weight, n. [OE. weght, wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G. gewicht, Icel. vætt, Sw. vigt, Dan. vægt. See Weigh, v. t.].

•  The quality of being heavy; that property of bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards, as pounds, grams, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  " Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity; hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body."  [1913 Webster]
•  The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as, a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.  [1913 Webster]

  "For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell,
  Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight of care or business.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "For the public all this weight he bears."  [1913 Webster]

  "[He] who singly bore the world's sad weight."  [1913 Webster]
•  Importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast weight.  [1913 Webster]

  "In such a point of weight, so near mine honor."  [1913 Webster]
•  A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy weight; apothecaries' weight.  [1913 Webster]
•  A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock weight; a paper weight.  [1913 Webster]

  "A man leapeth better with weights in his hands."  [1913 Webster]
•  A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce weight.  [1913 Webster]
•  The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it.  [1913 Webster]

Atomic weight. (Chem.) See under Atomic, and cf. Element. -- Dead weight, Feather weight, Heavy weight, Light weight, etc. See under Dead, Feather, etc. -- Weight of observation (Astron. & Physics), a number expressing the most probable relative value of each observation in determining the result of a series of observations of the same kind.

Syn. -- Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden; load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness.

Weight, v. t. 

•  To load with a weight or weights; to load down; to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.  [1913 Webster]

  "The arrows of satire, . . . weighted with sense."  [1913 Webster]
•  To assign a weight to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation. See Weight of observations, under Weight.  [1913 Webster]
•  To load (fabrics) as with barite, to increase the weight, etc.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  to assign a numerical value expressing relative importance to (a measurement), to be multiplied by the value of the measurement in determining averages or other aggregate quantities; as, they weighted part one of the test twice as heavily as part 2.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Weight, n. & v.
--n.
1 Physics a the force experienced by a body as a result of the earth's gravitation (cf. MASS(1) n. 8). b any similar force with which a body tends to a centre of attraction.
2 the heaviness of a body regarded as a property of it; its relative mass or the quantity of matter contained by it giving rise to a downward force (is twice your weight; kept in position by its weight).
3 a the quantitative expression of a body's weight (has a weight of three pounds). b a scale of such weights (troy weight).
4 a body of a known weight for use in weighing.
5 a heavy body esp. used in a mechanism etc. (a clock worked by weights).
6 a load or burden (a weight off my mind).
7 a influence, importance (carried weight with the public). b preponderance (the weight of evidence was against them).
8 a heavy object thrown as an athletic exercise; = SHOT(1) 7.
9 the surface density of cloth etc. as a measure of its suitability.
--v.tr.
1 a attach a weight to. b hold down with a weight or weights.
2 (foll. by with) impede or burden.
3 Statistics multiply the components of (an average) by factors to take account of their importance.
4 assign a handicap weight to (a horse).
5 treat (a fabric) with a mineral etc. to make it seem stouter.

Idiom

put on weight
1 increase one's weight.
2 get fat. throw one's weight about (or around) colloq. be unpleasantly self-assertive. worth one's weight in gold (of a person) exceedingly useful or helpful.

Etymology

OE (ge)wiht f. Gmc: cf. WEIGH(1)

THESAURUS

Weight

Indian club, accent, affliction, amperage, armipotence, ascendancy, authoritativeness, authority, balance, ballast, barbell, be heavy, beef, bitter cup, bitter draft, bitter draught, bitter pill, black power, bob, brim, brute force, buckram, burden, burden of care, burden with, burthen, cankerworm of care, carat, care, cargo, carry weight, centigram, ceremonial, ceremoniousness, ceremony, charge, charisma, charm, chock, clout, cogence, cogency, compulsion, concern, concernment, congest, consequence, consequentiality, consideration, contaminate, control, corrupt, counterbalance, cram, credit, cross, crowd, crown of thorns, cumber, cumbrance, curse, deadweight, debase, decagram, decigram, demand, difficulty, dignity, dint, disadvantage, distress, doctor, dominance, domination, dram, dram avoirdupois, drive, dumbbell, duress, duty, dyne, effect, effectiveness, effectuality, efficacy, embarrassment, eminence, emphasis, enchantment, encumber, encumbrance, energy, enjoin, esteem, exact, excellence, exerciser, extrinsicality, fasten upon, favor, fill, fill to overflowing, fill up, flower power, force, force majeure, forcefulness, form, formality, formalization, foul up, freight, freight with, full blast, full force, gall, gall and wormwood, good feeling, grain, gram, gravity, greatness, grievance, hamper, handicap, have weight, heft, high order, high rank, hold, hold the scales, horse, hundredweight, impediment, impedimenta, impersonality, import, importance, impose, impose on, impose upon, imposition, incidental power, inconvenience, inflict on, inflict upon, infliction, influence, influentiality, influentialness, insinuation, interest, jam, jam-pack, justness, kilo, kilogram, lade, lay, lay on, lead, leadership, leverage, levy, lie heavy, load, long horse, lumber, magnetism, magnitude, main force, main strength, mana, mark, mass, mastery, materiality, megaton, merit, might, might and main, mightiness, milligram, millstone, mole, moment, momentousness, moxie, muscle power, note, onus, oppression, ounce, ounce avoirdupois, ounce troy, overfill, pack, pack of troubles, pad, parallel bars, paramountcy, peck of troubles, penalty, pennyweight, personality, persuasion, pith, pizzazz, place, plumb, plummet, pomp, pomposity, poop, potence, potency, potentiality, pound, pound avoirdupois, pound troy, poundal, power, power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness, precedence, predominance, preeminence, preponderance, prepotency, pressure, prestige, primacy, primness, priority, productiveness, productivity, prominence, puissance, pull, punch, punching bag, purchase, push, put, put down, put on, put upon, ram in, rank, reign, repute, rigidness, rings, ritual, rituality, rowing machine, rule, saddle, saddle with, sandbag, satiate, saturate, say, scruple, sea of troubles, self-importance, seniority, set, side horse, significance, signification, sinew, sinker, slug, solemnity, solidity, sophisticate, sorrow, soundness, spoil, starchiness, stature, steam, stiffness, stiltedness, stone, strength, stress, strike a balance, strong arm, stuff, stylization, suasion, subject to, substantiality, subtle influence, suggestion, supercharge, superiority, superpower, supremacy, surfeit, sway, task, tax, thorn, tip the scales, ton, top off, trampoline, trapeze, trouble, units of weight, upper hand, validity, value, vehemence, vigor, vim, virility, virtue, virulence, vitality, wad, waters of bitterness, wattage, weigh, weigh down, weigh heavy, weigh in, weigh out, weight down, weight down with, weightiness, whip hand, white elephant, woe, worth, yoke with

ROGET THESAURUS

Weight

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Inequality

N inequality, disparity, imparity, odds, difference, unevenness, inclination of the balance, partiality, bias, weight, shortcoming, casting weight, make-weight, superiority, inferiority, inequation, unequal, uneven, disparate, partial, unbalanced, overbalanced, top-heavy, lopsided, biased, skewed, disquiparant, haud passibus aequis.

Influence

N influence, importance, weight, pressure, preponderance, prevalence, sway, predominance, predominancy, ascendency, dominance, reign, control, domination, pull, authority, capability, effect, interest, synergy (cooperation), footing, purchase, play, leverage, vantage ground, tower of strength, host in himself, protection, patronage, auspices, influential, effective, important, weighty, prevailing, prevalent, rife, rampant, dominant, regnant, predominant, in the ascendant, hegemonical, with telling effect, tel maure tel valet.

Gravity

N gravity, gravitation, weight, heaviness, specific gravity, pondorosity, pressure, load, burden, burthen, ballast, counterpoise, lump of, mass of, weight of, lead, millstone, mountain, Ossa on Pelion, weighing, ponderation, trutination, weights, avoirdupois weight, troy weight, apothecaries' weight, grain, scruple, drachma, ounce, pound, lb, arroba, load, stone, hundredweight, cwt, ton, long ton, metric ton, quintal, carat, pennyweight, tod, gram, centigram, milligram, microgram, kilogram, nanogram, picogram, femtogram, attogram, balance, scale, scales, steelyard, beam, weighbridge, spring balance, piezoelectric balance, analytical balance, two-pan balance, one-pan balance, postal scale, baby scale, statics, weighty, weighing, heavy as lead, ponderous, ponderable, lumpish, lumpy, cumbersome, burdensome, cumbrous, unwieldy, massive, incumbent, superincumbent.

Affirmation

N affirmance, affirmation, statement, allegation, assertion, predication, declaration, word, averment, confirmation, asseveration, adjuration, swearing, oath, affidavit, deposition, avouchment, assurance, protest, protestation, profession, acknowledgment, legal pledge, pronouncement, solemn averment, solemn avowal, solemn declaration, remark, observation, position, saying, dictum, sentence, ipse dixit, emphasis, weight, dogmatism, dogmatics, asserting, declaratory, predicatory, pronunciative, affirmative, soi-disant, positive, certain, express, explicit, absolute, emphatic, flat, broad, round, pointed, marked, distinct, decided, confident, trenchant, dogmatic, definitive, formal, solemn, categorical, peremptory, unretracted, predicable, affirmatively, in the affirmative, with emphasis, ex-cathedra, without fear of contradiction, as God is my witness, I must say, indeed, i' faith, let me tell you, why, give me leave to say, marry, you may be sure, I'd have you to know, upon my word, upon my honor, by my troth, egad, I assure you, by jingo, by Jove, by George, troth, seriously, sadly, in sadness, in sober sadness, in truth, in earnest, of a truth, truly, perdy, in all conscience, upon oath, be assured, yes, I'll warrant, I'll warrant you, I'll engage, I'll answer for it, I'll be bound, I'll venture to say, I'll take my oath, in fact, forsooth, joking apart, so help me God, not to mince the matter, quoth he, dixi.