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   weight

   /weɪt/

   noun

   • 1. a body's relative mass or the quantity of matter contained by it, giving rise to a downward force; the heaviness of a person or thing: "he was at least fifteen stone in weight" Similar heavinessmassloadburdenpressureforcepoundagetonnageinformal:avoirdupois
   • ▪ the force exerted on the mass of a body by a gravitational field.
   • ▪ the quality of being heavy: "as he came upstairs the boards creaked under his weight"
   • ▪ a unit or system of units used for expressing how much an object or quantity of matter weighs: "weights and measures"
   • 2. a piece of metal known to weigh a definite amount and used on scales to determine how heavy an object or quantity of a substance is: "the herbalist spooned the powder on to scales with tiny brass weights"
   • ▪ a heavy object, especially one being lifted or carried: "be careful when lifting a heavy weight"
   • ▪ a heavy object used to give an impulse or act as a counterpoise in a mechanism.
   • ▪ a heavy object thrown by a shot-putter.
   • ▪ blocks or discs of metal or other heavy material used in weightlifting or weight training.
   • ▪ the amount that a jockey is expected or required to weigh, or the amount that a horse can easily carry.
   • 3. the ability of someone or something to influence decisions or actions: "a recommendation by the committee will carry great weight" Similar influenceforceleverageswaymuscleteethimportancesignificanceconsequencevaluesubstancepowerauthorityprestigeinformal:cloutbeefpull
   • ▪ the importance attributed to something: "individuals differ in the weight they attach to various aspects of a job"
   • ▪ a factor associated with one of a set of numerical quantities, used to represent its importance relative to the other members of the set.
   • 4. the surface density of cloth, used as a measure of its quality.

   verb

   • 1. hold (something) down by placing a heavy object on top of it: "a mug half filled with coffee weighted down a stack of papers"
   • ▪ attach a heavy object to (something), especially so as to make it stay in place: "the jugs were covered with muslin veils weighted with coloured beads"
   • 2. attribute importance or value to: "speaking, reading, and writing should be weighted equally in the assessment"
   • ▪ be planned or arranged so as to put a specified person, group, or factor in a position of advantage or disadvantage: "the balance of power is weighted in favour of the government"
   • ▪ multiply the components of (an average) by factors to take account of their importance.
   • 3. assign a handicap weight to (a horse).
   • 4. treat (a fabric) with a mineral to make it seem thicker and heavier.

   Word Origin Old English(ge)wiht, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wicht and German Gewicht. The form of the word has been influenced by weigh1.

   Scrabble Points: 13

   • W

     4

   • E

     1

   • I

     1

   • G

     2

   • H

     4

   • T

     1

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