I. ˈwāt 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
II. transitive verb
Date: 1647
1. : to oppress with a burden
weight ed down with cares
2.
a. : to load or make heavy with or as if with a weight
b. : to increase in heaviness by adding an ingredient
3.
a. : weigh 1
b. : to feel the weight of : heft
4. : to assign a statistical weight to
5. : to cause to incline in a particular direction by manipulation
the tax structure…which was weight ed so heavily in favor of the upper classes — A. S. Link
6. : to shift the burden of weight upon
weight the inside ski