Weight (?), n. [OE. weght,
wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G.
gewicht, Icel. vætt, Sw. vigt, Dan.
vægt. See Weigh, v. t.]
1. The quality of being heavy; that property of
bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of
gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards,
as pounds, grams, etc.
&fist; Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of
gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity;
hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the
resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles
of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body.
2. The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency
to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the
balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as,
a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.
For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell,
Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes.
Shak.
3. Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight
of care or business. "The weight of this said time."
Shak.
For the public all this weight he bears.
Milton.
[He] who singly bore the world's sad
weight.
Keble.
4. Importance; power; influence; efficacy;
consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast
weight.
In such a point of weight, so near mine
honor.
Shak.
5. A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a
mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy
weight; apothecaries' weight.
6. A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock
weight; a paper weight.
A man leapeth better with weights in his
hands.
Bacon.
7. A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other
metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce
weight.
8. (Mech.) The resistance against which a
machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it. [Obs.]
Atomic weight. (Chem.) See under
Atomic, and cf. Element. -- Dead
weight, Feather weight, Heavy
weight, Light weight, etc. See under
Dead, Feather, etc. -- Weight of
observation (Astron. & Physics), a number expressing
the most probable relative value of each observation in determining the
result of a series of observations of the same kind.
Syn. -- Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden;
load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment;
impressiveness.
Weight, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Weighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Weighting.]
1. To load with a weight or weights; to load down;
to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a
jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.
The arrows of satire, . . . weighted with
sense.
Coleridge.
2. (Astron. & Physics) To assign a weight
to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation.
See Weight of observations, under Weight.
Weight, v. t. (Dyeing) To
load (fabrics) as with barite, to increase the weight, etc.
Weight (?), n. [OE. weght,
wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G.
gewicht, Icel. vætt, Sw. vigt, Dan.
vægt. See Weigh, v. t.]
1. The quality of being heavy; that property of
bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of
gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards,
as pounds, grams, etc.
&fist; Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of
gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity;
hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the
resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles
of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body.
2. The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency
to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the
balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as,
a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.
For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell,
Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes.
Shak.
3. Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight
of care or business. "The weight of this said time."
Shak.
For the public all this weight he bears.
Milton.
[He] who singly bore the world's sad
weight.
Keble.
4. Importance; power; influence; efficacy;
consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast
weight.
In such a point of weight, so near mine
honor.
Shak.
5. A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a
mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy
weight; apothecaries' weight.
6. A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock
weight; a paper weight.
A man leapeth better with weights in his
hands.
Bacon.
7. A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other
metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce
weight.
8. (Mech.) The resistance against which a
machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it. [Obs.]
Atomic weight. (Chem.) See under
Atomic, and cf. Element. -- Dead
weight, Feather weight, Heavy
weight, Light weight, etc. See under
Dead, Feather, etc. -- Weight of
observation (Astron. & Physics), a number expressing
the most probable relative value of each observation in determining the
result of a series of observations of the same kind.
Syn. -- Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden;
load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment;
impressiveness.
Weight, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Weighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Weighting.]
1. To load with a weight or weights; to load down;
to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a
jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.
The arrows of satire, . . . weighted with
sense.
Coleridge.
2. (Astron. & Physics) To assign a weight
to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation.
See Weight of observations, under Weight.
Weight, v. t. (Dyeing) To
load (fabrics) as with barite, to increase the weight, etc.
