weigh

weigh
weigh (v.) O.E. wegan "find the weight of, have weight, lift, carry," from P.Gmc. *weganan (Cf. O.S. wegan, O.Fris. wega, Du. wegen "to weigh," O.N. vega, O.H.G. wegan "to move, carry, weigh," Ger. wiegen "to weigh"), from PIE *wegh- "to move" (Cf. Skt. vahati "carries, conveys," vahitram "vessel, ship;" Avestan vazaiti "he leads, draws;" Gk. okhos "carriage;" L. vehere "to carry, convey;" O.C.S. vesti "to carry, convey;" Lith. vezu "to carry, convey;" O.Ir. fecht "campaign, journey"). The original sense was of motion, which led to that of lifting, then to that of "measure the weight of." The older sense of "lift, carry" survives in the nautical phrase weigh anchor. Figurative sense of "to consider, ponder" (in reference to words, etc.) is recorded from mid-14c.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • weigh — S3 [weı] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(be a particular weight)¦ 2¦(measure weight)¦ 3¦(consider/compare)¦ 4¦(influence)¦ 5 weigh your words 6 weigh anchor Phrasal verbs  weigh somebody<=>down  weigh in  weigh on somebody …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • weigh — [ weı ] verb ** 1. ) linking verb to have a particular weight: Tell me Clare, how much do you weigh? The baby weighed 7 pounds when she was born. weigh a ton (=be very heavy): Your suitcase weighs a ton. a ) transitive to measure how heavy… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Weigh — Weigh, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Weighed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Weighing}.] [OE. weien, weyen, weghen, AS. wegan to bear, move; akin to D. wegen to weigh, G. w[ a]gen, wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel. vega to move, carry, lift, weigh,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • weigh up — 1. To force up (lit and figurative) 2. To consider carefully and assess the quality of (eg a person) (informal) • • • Main Entry: ↑weigh * * * ˌweigh ˈup [transitive] [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • weigh — ► VERB 1) find out how heavy (someone or something) is. 2) have a specified weight. 3) (weigh out) measure and take out (a portion of a particular weight). 4) (weigh down) be heavy and cumbersome or oppressive to. 5) (weigh on) be depre …   English terms dictionary

  • weigh — weigh1 [wā] vt. [ME weien, to weigh, bear < OE wegan, to carry, bear, akin to Ger weigan, wägen < IE base * weĝh , to go, draw > OE wæg, a wave, L vehere, to carry, bring] 1. to determine the weight of by means of a scale or balance 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Weigh — Weigh, v. i. 1. To have weight; to be heavy. They only weigh the heavier. Cowper. [1913 Webster] 2. To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance. [1913 Webster] Your vows to her and me . . . will even weigh. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Weigh — (w[=a]), n. (Naut.) A corruption of {Way}, used only in the phrase {under weigh}. [1913 Webster] An expedition was got under weigh from New York. Thackeray. [1913 Webster] The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable difficulty got… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • weigh — UK US /weɪ/ verb [T] ► to have a particular weight: »The portable calculator weighs 2 ounces. ► to measure the weight of something: »Your luggage must be weighed before it is put onto the aircraft. ► to carefully consider something, especially by …   Financial and business terms

  • weigh in — (of a boxer or jockey) be officially weighed before or after a contest. → weigh weigh in informal make a forceful contribution to a competition or argument. → weigh …   English new terms dictionary

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