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"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being weighed.
Weigh"age (?; 48), n. A duty or toil paid for weighing merchandise.
Bouvier.
Weigh"beam` (?), n. A kind of large steelyard for weighing merchandise;
— also called weighmaster's beam.
Weigh"board` (?), n. (Mining) Clay intersecting a vein. Weale.
Weigh"bridge` (?), n. A weighing machine on which loaded carts may be
weighed; platform scales.
Weigh"er (?), n. One who weighs; specifically, an officer whose duty it
is to weigh commodities.
Weigh"-house` (?), n.; pl. Weigh-houses (&?;). A building at or within
which goods, and the like, are weighed.
Weigh"ing, a. & n. from Weigh, v.
Weighing cage, a cage in which small living animals may be conveniently
weighed. — Weighing house. See Weigh-house. — Weighing machine, any
large machine or apparatus for weighing; especially, platform scales
arranged for weighing heavy bodies, as loaded wagons.
Weigh"lock` (?), n. A lock, as on a canal, in which boats are weighed
and their tonnage is settled.
Weigh"mas`ter (?), n. One whose business it is to weigh ore, hay,
merchandise, etc.; one licensed as a public weigher.
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.
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.