Weigh (wā), n. (Naut.) A
corruption of Way, used only in the phrase under
weigh.
An expedition was got under weigh from New
York.
Thackeray.
The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable
difficulty got under weigh.
Jowett
(Thucyd.).
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. wägen,
wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel.
vega to move, carry, lift, weigh, Sw. väga to weigh,
Dan. veie, Goth. gawigan to shake, L. vehere to carry,
Skr. vah. &?;&?;&?;&?;. See Way, and cf. Wey.]
1. To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to
swing up; as, to weigh anchor. "Weigh the vessel up."
Cowper.
2. 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; as, to
weigh sugar; to weigh gold.
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found
wanting.
Dan. v. 27.
3. To be equivalent to in weight; to
counterbalance; to have the heaviness of. "A body weighing
divers ounces." Boyle.
4. To pay, allot, take, or give by
weight.
They weighed for my price thirty pieces of
silver.
Zech. xi. 12.
5. 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.
A young man not weighed in state
affairs.
Bacon.
Had no better weighed
The strength he was to cope with, or his own.
Milton.
Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only
what is spoken.
Hooker.
In nice balance, truth with gold she
weighs.
Pope.
Without sufficiently weighing his
expressions.
Sir W. Scott.
6. To consider as worthy of notice; to
regard. [Obs. or Archaic] "I weigh not you."
Shak.
All that she so dear did weigh.
Spenser.
To weigh down. (a) To
overbalance. (b) To oppress with weight; to
overburden; to depress. "To weigh thy spirits down."
Milton.
Weigh (?), v. i. 1. To
have weight; to be heavy. "They only weigh the heavier."
Cowper.
2. To be considered as important; to have weight in
the intellectual balance.
Your vows to her and me . . . will even
weigh.
Shak.
This objection ought to weigh with those whose
reading is designed for much talk and little knowledge.
Locke.
3. To bear heavily; to press hard.
Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart.
Shak.
4. To judge; to estimate. [R.]
Could not weigh of worthiness aright.
Spenser.
To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.
Weigh, n. [See Wey.] A certain
quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See
Wey.
Weigh (wā), n. (Naut.) A
corruption of Way, used only in the phrase under
weigh.
An expedition was got under weigh from New
York.
Thackeray.
The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable
difficulty got under weigh.
Jowett
(Thucyd.).
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. wägen,
wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel.
vega to move, carry, lift, weigh, Sw. väga to weigh,
Dan. veie, Goth. gawigan to shake, L. vehere to carry,
Skr. vah. &?;&?;&?;&?;. See Way, and cf. Wey.]
1. To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to
swing up; as, to weigh anchor. "Weigh the vessel up."
Cowper.
2. 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; as, to
weigh sugar; to weigh gold.
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found
wanting.
Dan. v. 27.
3. To be equivalent to in weight; to
counterbalance; to have the heaviness of. "A body weighing
divers ounces." Boyle.
4. To pay, allot, take, or give by
weight.
They weighed for my price thirty pieces of
silver.
Zech. xi. 12.
5. 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.
A young man not weighed in state
affairs.
Bacon.
Had no better weighed
The strength he was to cope with, or his own.
Milton.
Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only
what is spoken.
Hooker.
In nice balance, truth with gold she
weighs.
Pope.
Without sufficiently weighing his
expressions.
Sir W. Scott.
6. To consider as worthy of notice; to
regard. [Obs. or Archaic] "I weigh not you."
Shak.
All that she so dear did weigh.
Spenser.
To weigh down. (a) To
overbalance. (b) To oppress with weight; to
overburden; to depress. "To weigh thy spirits down."
Milton.
Weigh (?), v. i. 1. To
have weight; to be heavy. "They only weigh the heavier."
Cowper.
2. To be considered as important; to have weight in
the intellectual balance.
Your vows to her and me . . . will even
weigh.
Shak.
This objection ought to weigh with those whose
reading is designed for much talk and little knowledge.
Locke.
3. To bear heavily; to press hard.
Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart.
Shak.
4. To judge; to estimate. [R.]
Could not weigh of worthiness aright.
Spenser.
To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.
Weigh, n. [See Wey.] A certain
quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See
Wey.
