Weigh
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 The act of weighing, of measuring the weight
"Give the sugar a quick weigh."
- 1 To determine the weight of an object. transitive
- 2 show consideration for; take into account wordnet
- 3 Often with "out", to measure a certain amount of something by its weight, e.g. for sale. transitive
"He weighed out two kilos of oranges for a client."
- 4 have weight; have import, carry weight wordnet
- 5 To determine the intrinsic value or merit of an object, to evaluate. figuratively, transitive
"You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 to be oppressive or burdensome wordnet
- 7 To judge; to estimate. figuratively, intransitive, obsolete
"But ſhe thereof grew proud and inſolent, / That none ſhe worthie thought to be her fere, / But ſcornd them all, that loue vnto her ment; / Yet was ſhe lou’d of many a worthy pere, / Vnworthy ſhe to be belou’d ſo dere, / That could not weigh of worthineſſe aright."
- 8 determine the weight of wordnet
- 9 To consider a subject. transitive
- 10 have a certain weight wordnet
- 11 To have a certain weight. copulative, intransitive, stative
"I weigh ten and a half stone."
- 12 To have weight; to be heavy; to press down. intransitive
"If they ſhall faile, I with mine Enemies Will triumph o're my perſon, which I waigh not, Being of thoſe Vertues vacant."
- 13 To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance. intransitive
"Your vowes to her, and me,[…] / Will euen weigh, and both as light as tales."
- 14 To raise an anchor free of the seabed. transitive
- 15 To weigh anchor. intransitive
"Towards the euening we wayed, & approaching the ſhoare [...], we landed where there lay a many of baskets and much bloud, but ſaw not a Salvage."
- 16 To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up.
"Weigh the vessel up."
- 17 To consider as worthy of notice; to regard. obsolete
"Thinke you I weigh this treaſure more than you? Not all the Gold in Indias welthy armes, Shall buy the meaneſt ſouldier in my traine."
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"An astute reader should be willing to weigh everything they read, including anonymous sources."
Etymology
From Middle English weyen, from Old English wegan, from Proto-West Germanic *wegan, from Proto-Germanic *weganą (“to move, carry, weigh”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti, from *weǵʰ- (“to bring, transport”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wey, wee, Dutch wegen, German wiegen, wägen, Danish veje, Norwegian Bokmål veie, Norwegian Nynorsk vega. Doublet of wedge, wagon, way, and vector.