n.
Pronunciation: ' w ā t
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English wight, weght, from Old English wiht; akin to Old Norse vætt weight, Old English wegan to weigh
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the amount that a thing weighs b (1) : the standard or established amount that a thing should weigh (2) : one of the classes into which contestants in a sports event are divided according to body weight (3) : poundage required to be carried by a horse in a handicap race
2 a : a quantity or thing weighing a fixed and usually specified amount b : a heavy object (as a metal ball) thrown, put, or lifted as an athletic exercise or contest
3 a : a unit of weight or mass ― see METRIC SYSTEM table b : a piece of material (as metal) of known specified weight for use in weighing articles c : a system of related units of weight
4 a : something heavy : LOAD b : a heavy object to hold or press something down or to counterbalance
5 a : BURDEN , PRESSURE <the weight of their responsibilities> b : the quality or state of being ponderous c : CORPULENCE
6 a : relative heaviness : MASS b : the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a celestial body by gravitation and which is equal to the product of the mass and the local gravitational acceleration
7 a : the relative importance or authority accorded something <the weight of her opinions> b : measurable influence especially on others <throwing his weight behind the proposal>
8 : overpowering force
9 : the quality (as lightness) that makes a fabric or garment suitable for a particular use or season ― often used in combination <summer- weight >
10 : a numerical coefficient assigned to an item to express its relative importance in a frequency distribution
11 : the degree of thickness of the strokes of a type character
synonyms see IMPORTANCE , INFLUENCE
see table...