Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Way. Used in the phrase under weigh.
  • intransitive verb To determine the weight of, as with a scale.
  • intransitive verb To measure or apportion (a certain quantity) by weight. Often used with out:
  • intransitive verb To balance in the mind in order to make a choice; ponder or evaluate.
  • intransitive verb To choose carefully or deliberately.
  • intransitive verb Nautical To raise (anchor).
  • intransitive verb To be of a specific weight.
  • intransitive verb To have consequence or importance.
  • intransitive verb To cause to bend heavily by added weight. Used with on or upon:
  • intransitive verb To be burdensome or oppressive. Used with on or upon:
  • intransitive verb Nautical To raise anchor.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In cotton manufacturing, any given quantity of yarn delivered to an operative, for example, a winder, upon which wages are based.
  • noun See wegh.
  • noun A certain quantity or measure, estimated by weight; a measure of weight (compare wey); in the South Wales coal-fields, a weight of ten tons.
  • noun A misspelling of way, in the phrase under way, due to confusion with the phrase to weigh anchor.
  • To raise or lift; bear up: as, to weigh anchor; to weigh a ship that has been sunk.
  • To bear up or balance in order to determine the weight of; determine the relative heaviness of (something) by comparison in a balance with some recognized standard; ascertain the number of pounds, ounces, etc., in: as, to weigh sugar; to weigh gold.
  • To consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; compare; estimate deliberately and maturely; balance; ponder: as, to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a scheme.
  • To consider as worthy of notice; make account of; care for; regard; esteem.
  • To overweigh or overpower; burden; op press. See the following phrase.
  • To oppress with weight or heaviness; overburden; depress.
  • To weigh anchor; get under way or in readiness to sail.
  • To have weight, literally or figuratively.
  • To be or amount in heaviness or weight; be of equal effect with in the balance: as, a nugget weighing several ounces; a load which weighs two tons.
  • To be considered as important; have weight in the intellectual balance.
  • To bear heavily; press hard.
  • To consider; reflect.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Naut.) A corruption of way, used only in the phrase under weigh.
  • intransitive verb To have weight; to be heavy.
  • intransitive verb To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance.
  • intransitive verb To bear heavily; to press hard.
  • intransitive verb rare To judge; to estimate.
  • intransitive verb to sink by its own weight.
  • noun A certain quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See wey.
  • transitive verb To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up.
  • transitive verb To examine by the balance; to ascertain the weight of, that is, the force with which a thing tends to the center of the earth; to determine the heaviness, or quantity of matter of
  • transitive verb To be equivalent to in weight; to counterbalance; to have the heaviness of.
  • transitive verb To pay, allot, take, or give by weight.
  • transitive verb To examine or test as if by the balance; to ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; to estimate deliberately and maturely; to balance.
  • transitive verb Obs. or Archaic To consider as worthy of notice; to regard.
  • transitive verb To oppress with weight; to overburden; to depress.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Variant (influenced by weigh, as in weigh anchor) of way.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English weien, from Old English wegan; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English wegan, from Proto-Germanic *weganan, from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰe-, *weǵʰ-. Cognate with Scots wey or weich, Dutch wegen, German wiegen, wägen, Danish veje.

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