▪ I. weigh, n.1
(weɪ)
Forms: 1 wǽᵹ(e, wéᵹ, 2 wæiȝe, 3 weie, 4 waye, weih, weȝe, 4–5 weigh(e, 5, 9 wee, 5–7, 9 dial. wey, 6 wye, 7–9 way, 9 dial. weigh.
[OE. wǽᵹ str. fem., wǽᵹe wk. fem. (both meaning ‘balance’ and ‘weight’; see wey), corresp. to OS. wâga (MLG. wâge, MDu. wâghe, Du. waag; see waw n.2), OHG. wâga (MHG. wâge, mod.G. wage), ON. vág, (Sw. våg, Da. vaag):—OTeut. *wǣᵹō-, -ōn-, f. *wǣᵹ-(: *weᵹ-: *waᵹ-): see weigh v.]
† 1. A weight. Obs. (For the word as the name of a particular denomination of weight, see wey.)
| c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxxii. (Z.) 58 Pondus, byrðen oððe wæᵹe [v.r. wæᵹ]. c 1200 Vices & Vertues 11 Godd us for⁓bett ðat we ne sculen habbe twifeald wæiȝe ne twifeald imett. |
2. A balance, pair of scales. † a. sing. Obs.
| a 1050 Liber Scintill. xxiv. (1889) 97 Wordu soðlice snotera on wæᵹe beoð aweᵹene [Ecclus. xxi. 28 statera ponderabuntur]. a 1225 Ancr. R. 60 Auh seint Austin deð þeos two boðe in one weie, wilnen, & habe wille uorte beon iwilned. 1340 Ayenb. 255 Þe wordes of þe wyse byeþ y-weᵹe ine þe waye. c 1350 Will. Palerne 947 Þou waltres al in a weih & wel y vnderstande whider þe belaunce bremliest bouwes al-gate. 1382 Wyclif Prov. xi. 1 A treccherous weȝe [Vulg. statera] abominacioun is anent God. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 221 Then come thylke brennet dekon, and layde a grete pot on þe wey þe whech anon weyit vp al togedyr. |
b. pl. (sometimes construed as sing.). Obs. exc. dial. † Also, the zodiacal constellation Libra.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxi. 10 Mendaces filii hominum in stateris, lease bearn monna in weᵹum. c 1100 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 148/16 Trutina, wæᵹa. 1340 Hampole Ps. lxi. 9 Leighers in weighes, that is, on the weighes of rightwisnes. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 74 Heruest bygynnes whenne þe sonne entrys þe first degree of þe tokenynge of weighes. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. iv. 693 Pap Siluestir gert þaim be layide In til a weyis. 1480–1 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 97, j par Weez lign. cum ponderibus. 1533 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 451 Ane pair of woll weyiss, ane pair of ballendis of brass. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 2286 Sanct Mychaell, with his wyngis and weyis. 1573 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1848) II. 10 A pair of weyis witht baikis, pryce xl. d. 1578 Richmond Wills (Surtees) 282 The kitchinge..A pair wyes and wyghts, ii s. vj d. c 1587 Montgomerie Sonn. xviii. 11 Hald evin the Weyis. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj., Burrow Lawes c. 125 §3 The heire..sall haue..ane flaill, the weyes [L. stateram], with the wechts, [etc.]. 1808 Jamieson, Weyes, Weyis, a balance with scales for weighing. 1825 Ibid., Weyes, Wees. |
c. Sc. (See quot.)
| 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 72 Weighs, a weigh⁓bridge; a waggon-weighing machine. |
3. A pole borne on the shoulders of two men, for carrying a water-vessel. ? Obs. Also wey and bodkins (dial.): see quot.
| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. xiv. (Roxb.) 11/2 A Runge or Soe: which is a kind of vessell that Tanners, Glouers, and Beere-brewers use to carry Water in, being borne on a Way or pole betweene two men. 1844 W. Barnes Poems Rural Life Gloss. 368 Wey an' bodkins, a set of spreaders for hitching two horses to the same part of a sull or harrow. The first, the Wey, is fastened at its middle to the plough or harrow by a cops..and the bodkins are connected by a crook on their middle to clipses on the two ends of the wey. |
▪ II. weigh, n.2
In under weigh, a common var. of under way, from erroneous association with the phr. ‘to weigh anchor’. See way n.1 38.
| 1777 E. Draper Let. 25 Aug. in N. & Q. (1944) 15 July 28/1, I can assure you on the authority of Mr. Sullivan, that he saw him underweigh in the Bessborough and for the East Indies several Weeks ago. 1785 Cumberland Observer xii. [ix.] ¶7 This perverse wind has at last..come about to the east, so that we are all in high spirits getting under weigh. 1796 Hist. Ned Evans I. 182 Mr. Evans stood upon the beach till the packet got under weigh. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxiii, She got under weigh with very little fuss, and came so near us as to throw a letter on board. 1841 Catlin N. Amer. Ind. xxxii. (1844) II. 2, I embarked..and was glad to get underweigh. 1855 F. C. Armstrong Warhawk I. xii. 258 The following morning he embarked with his attendant, O'Regan, on board The Royal Anne, which got under weigh shortly after. |
▪ III. weigh, v.1
(weɪ)
Pa. tense and pple. weighed (weɪd). Forms: 1 weᵹan (3rd sing. wiᵹeð, wihð; weᵹeð, wehð), 2–4 weiȝe (3 3rd sing. weihð), 3–4 weȝe, weyȝe, 4 weghe, 6 weygh(e, waygh, 6–7 weighe, waigh(e, 6– weigh; 2–6 weie, 3–7 weye (5 wheyhe, 5–7 Sc. veye), 4–7 (9 Sc.) wey (5–7 Sc. vey); 4–7 waie, 5–7 waye (5 whaye), way, 6–7 weay; 5–6 north. and Sc. wye (5 whye), 7 Sc. wie; 5 whe, 6 Sc. we-, ve-, 9 Sc. wee. pa. tense. α. 1 wæᵹ, pl. wǽᵹon, 3 way, pl. weȝe, 4 weȝ, wey, weyȝ(e, weygh, wayȝ, weghe, weie, (? woghe). β. 3–4 weide (3 pl. weiden), 3–5 weiede, 4 we(y)ȝed(e, etc., 4–7 weied, weyed, 6–7 wayed, waied, waighed, etc., 6– weighed. pa. pple. α. 1 weᵹen, 2–3 iwæiȝen, 4 yweȝe, weyen, (i-), (y)wey(e, (i)weie; 5 wawyn, wowyn, wowne. β. 4 yweid, (i)weied, weȝed, 4–7 weyed, 5 weiede, 5–6 weyd, 6 wei(e)d, wayed, wayd(e, etc., 7– weighed.
[A Com. Teut. strong verb: OE. weᵹan (wæᵹ, wǽᵹon, weᵹen) corresponds to OFris. wega, weia to move, weigh, OSax. wegan to weigh, (M)Du. wegen to weigh, OHG. wegan to move, shake, weigh (MHG. wegen; mod.G. has bewegen to move, while the simple verb is represented by the two verbs wägen trans., to weigh, wiegen intr., to weigh, be of a certain weight), ON. vega to lift, weigh (Sw. väga, Da. veie, to weigh), Goth. ga-wigan (only Luke vi. 38 in pa. pple. fem. gawigana shaken). The Teut. root *weᵹ-, *waᵹ-, *wǣᵹ- (for words representing the several grades see way n.; wag v., wagon, wain, waw n.1 and v.1; weigh n.1, wey) is:—Indogermanic *wegh-, *wogh-, *wēgh-, found in Skr. vah, L. vehĕre to carry, Gr. ϝοχος, ὄχος vehicle.
The remarkably early appearance of the weak conjugation was prob. due to confusion with weigh v.2; the two OE. verbs weᵹan and wecgan coincided in the form weᵹeð of the 3rd sing. pres. (though the former verb had also the more normal wiᵹeð). The strong inflexion of the pa. tense died out in the 14th century, and that of the pa. pple. in the 15th.]
I. To bear, carry, hold up; to heave up, lift.
† 1. trans. To bear from one place to another; to carry, transport. Obs.
In quots. 13.. ? To carry round and serve (wine).
| Beowulf 1207 He þa frætwe wæᵹ..ofer yða ful. c 1000 Narratiunculæ (1861) 9 Micel mæniᵹeo elpenda þa þe gold wæᵹon & læddon. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1420 So faste þay weȝed to him wyne, hit warmed his hert. Ibid. 1508 Weȝe wyn in þis won, wassayl, he cryes. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1403 Wyȝez þe walle wyn weȝed to hem oft. |
† 2. To bear (arms); to wear (a robe, etc.). Obs.
| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xiii. 77 On ðæm selfan hræᵹle, ðe he on his breostum wæᵹ. c 900 Bæda's Hist ii. ix. (1890) 123 Hæfde he & wæᵹ mid hine twiecge handseax ᵹeættred. c 1205 Lay. 24471 Heo weȝe on heore honde feouwer sweord of golde. Ibid. 26279 ælc weiede an sculdre sceld swiðe godne. c 1250 Owl & Night. 1022 (Cott.) He miȝte bet teche ane bore To weȝe [Jes. bere] boþe sheld & spere. |
† 3. With up: To hold up, support. Obs.
| c 1200 Vices & Virtues 49 He ðe weiȝþ upp mid his fingre heuene and ierðe. |
4. † a. With up: To hoist, to lift up. Obs.
| 1421–2 Hoccleve Dialogue 402 Right as a theef þat hath eschapid ones The roop, no dreede hath eft his art to vse, Til þat the trees him weye vp, body and bones. 1563–83 Foxe A. & M. 1472/2 They tooke the sayd Roode and weyed hym vppe and set him in his olde accustomed place. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. viii. §1. 132 With which Tongs you may Beclip the [Hop-]Pole at the bottom, and resting the joynt thereof on a block of wood, you may weigh up the Pole. |
† b. fig. To raise up, exalt. Obs.
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. cvii. xiv, [God] from want the poore doth waigh. |
c. Naut. To set up (a mast).
| 1841 Dana Seaman's Man. 134 Weigh, to lift up; as, to weigh an anchor or a mast. |
5. a. Naut. To heave up (a ship's anchor) from the ground, before sailing. Now usually to weigh anchor (without art.). † Formerly also with up, in.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 103 Cables þay fasten, Wiȝt at þe wyndas weȝen her ankres. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 740 Wyghtly one þe wale thay wye up þaire ankers. 1492 Acta Dom. Concil. (1839) 245/1 Compelling of þe saidis Wegeantis seruitouris to wey þer ankeris. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 108 Come to our shyp our ankers ar in wayde. c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. (Percy Soc.) 14 Than Cocke wayed anker, and housed his sayle. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V 44 b, When the wynde was prosperous..they waied up the Ankers. 1556 W. Towrson in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 101 We wayed our Grapnel and went away. 1628 Digby Voy. Mediterr. (1868) 19, I weighed anchor and sett sayle. 1632 Lithgow Trav. ii. 45 The windes fauouring vs, we weighed Ankors. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Gothick Wars i. 11 Constantianus wayed Anchor from Epidaurus. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton x. (1840) 173 We weighed anchor the same tide, and stood out to sea. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iii. iv, Cormac Doil..Hoisted his sail, his anchor weigh'd. 1835 Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. v. 77 We immediately weighed anchor. |
b. fig.
| 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 17, I will streight weie anker, and hoyse vp sayle. 1633 Massinger Guardian Prol., Our Author weighs up anchors, and once more Forsaking the security of the shore, Resolves to prove his fortune. 1650 R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Wars ii. 36 As often as this sacred Anchor [of Religion] is weighed, so often the Ship of the Common-Wealth is tossed. 1882 Century Mag. Sept. 707/2 He for whom the sexton has tolled the bell has ‘weighed anchor’. |
c. absol. = to weigh anchor. Hence, to sail (from, out of a port, etc.).
| 1513 Sir E. Howard in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 215 We cowd ryd no lenger ther withowt gret danger,..we weyd to get us in to the Downes. 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 40 The maister..bald the marynalis lay the cabil to the cabilstok, to veynde and veye. 1556 W. Towrson in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 101 Wee wayed and set saile. 1613 J. Saris Voy. Japan (Hakl. Soc.) 1 The 14th in the morning we wayed out of the roade of Bantam for Japan. a 1647 Pette in Archaeologia XII. 226 On Wednesday..we weighed from Limehouse, and anchored right against the Tower. 1748 Anson's Voy. i. iv. (ed. 4) 47 On the 3d of November we weighed from Madera. 1808 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. IV. 193, I found about 60 of the convoy had lost their anchors in attempting to weigh. 1867 Pall Mall Gaz. 19 July 9/1 It would have been necessary for each ship to weigh singly, which would have occupied fifteen minutes each. 1893 H. M. Doughty Wherry in Wendish Lands 20 In the morning we weighed early. |
6. a. To raise (a sunk ship, gun, etc.) from the bottom of the water. Also with up.
| a. a 1500 in Arnolde's Chron. (1811) 133 After tyme she was weyed and toued to the hauyn at Caleis. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 26 Leuyng the gonne (because the master carpenter sayde y{supt} he woulde shortely way it out of the water). 1578 W. Bourne Treas. Trav. iv. viii. 17 Then it will waygh or lyfte the sunken Shyppe from the bottome. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xii. 81 Rules to weigh Ships, or Guns, or any thing else in the Water. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 239 [The diver] could find but one small gun, which he weigh'd and brought ashore. 1777 J. Putnam in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) II. 540 Should the enemy succeed in weighing the chevaux-de-frise, and proceed up the river. 1783 Cowper Let. to J. Hill 20 Oct., I must beg leave, however..to mourn..that the Royal George cannot be weighed. |
| b. 1545 Dk. Suffolk in Hooker Life Sir P. Carew (1857) 129, I trust by Monday or Twisday..the Mary Rose shalbe wayed upp and saved. 1598 W. Phillip tr. Linschoten i. xcix. 194/2 The Reuenge had in her diuers faire brasse peeces, that were all sunke in the sea, which they of the Island were in good hope to waigh vp againe. 1643 Baker Chron., Hen. VIII. 7 A great Gunne..was overthrowne in a deep Pond of water;..the Master Carpenter taking with him a hundred labourers, went and weyed it up. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 6 June 1687, A vast treasure, which was sunk in a Spanish galloon..was now weigh'd up by some gentlemen. 1735 S. Gale in Archaeologia I. 189 note, One of these stakes, entire, was actually weighed up between two loaded barges at the time of a great flood. 1760 S. Derrick Lett. (1767) I. 16 She being effectually sucked in by the heavy sandy bottom, all attempts to weigh her up have been ineffectual. 1782 Cowper Loss of Royal George 25 Weigh the vessel up..; Her timbers yet are sound, And she may float again. 1815 Local Act 55 Geo. III c. lv. §73 If any Boat..shall be sunk in any Part of the said Canal,..and the Owner..shall not, without loss of Time, weigh or draw up the same. |
† b. intr. for refl. To be raised up; to admit of being raised. Obs.
| 1655 W. Hammond On death of Brother (No. 2) Only this difference, that sunk downward, this Weigh'd up to bliss. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xii. 81 If the thing sunk be upon Sands or Rocks, it will weigh the better. |
II. To balance in the scales; to ascertain the weight of; to consider or compare in this respect.
7. a. trans. To ascertain the exact heaviness of (an object or substance) by balancing it in a pair of scales, or on a steelyard, against a counterpoise of known amount.
| c 1000 ælfric Gram. xiii. 84 ælc þæra ðinga, þe man wihð on wæᵹan. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 374 Ᵹenim ᵹeoluwne stan & salt stan & pipor & weh on wæᵹe. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 213 Gif hit chepinge be, þe me shule meten oðer weien. c 1200 Vices & Virtues 17 He wile hes habben wel imotet and bi rihte wæiȝe wel iwæiȝen. 1340 Ayenb. 44 Huanne þo þet zelleþ be wyȝte purchaceþ and makeþ zuo moche þet þet þing þet me ssel weȝe sseweþ more heuy. 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. xiv. 26 He weiede [1388 weiȝide] the heeris of his heed with two hundred siclis be the comoun weiȝt. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. x. 273 When..þe woolle worth weye, woo ys þe þenne. a 1400 Eng. Gilds (1870) 356 Þe kynges by whas wyȝte hit be yweye. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 533/1 Wowyn, or weyyd, ponderatus, libratus. 1469 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 21 The wheight stone that the wooll was weyed with. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 255 Are there ballance heere to weigh the flesh? 1613 J. Saris Voy. Japan (Hakl. Soc.) 42 A Beame to waye spice with. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 98 They weigh the cheese when it is set on Table, and taken away, being paid by the weight. 1758 Johnson Idler No. 28 ¶9 Engines should be fixed in proper places to weigh chairs as they weigh waggons. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. 179 We have weighed it green, that is, just after mowing, against all the other pasture grasses, and it out-weighs them all. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. xv. (1842) 387 A graduated transfer jar containing the gas to be weighed. 1863 M. E. Braddon Aurora Floyd xiii, While the numbers were going up, and jockeys being weighed. 1894 Sir J. D. Astley Fifty Yrs. Life II. 212 When we weighed their riders after the morning's work, we found that Peter was giving Foxhall two stone and a half. |
b. absol.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 118 Furst I leornede to lyȝe a lessun or tweyne, And wikkedliche for to weie was myn oþer lessun. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 122 Libra..hath figure and resemblance Unto a man which a balance Berth in his hond as forto weie. 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. vii. (1883) 138 And by the potte and elle ben signefyed them that haue the charge to weye and mete and mesure truly. |
c. to weigh (someone) against gold (or silver): to perform the Indian ceremony in which (a rajah, etc.) is weighed and his weight in gold (or silver) distributed as largesse.
| 1696 J. Ovington Voy. Suratt. 179 The Moguls are sometimes weighed against Silver. 1934 Times 25 Aug. 13/2 The Maharajah..will be weighed against gold... The gold-weigh ceremony is usually performed with gold supplied by the person being weighed... This amount will be distributed in charity. 1936 Times 14 Jan. 13/6 At this Durbar the Aga Khan will be weighed against gold, and it is expected that 20,000 guests will attend the function. |
d. In Horse-racing. to weigh out, weigh in: to take the weight of (a jockey) respectively before and after a race. (Cf. 9.)
| 1890 Rules of Racing in Encycl. Sport (1898) II. 224 The Stakeholder shall not allow a jockey to be weighed out for any horse until such horse's stake [etc.] have been paid. Ibid. 225 The Clerk of the Scales..shall in all cases weigh in the riders of the horses.., and report to the Stewards any jockey not presenting himself to be weighed in. |
e. to weigh off: to punish; to convict or sentence. slang (orig. Mil.). Now chiefly Criminals'.
| 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 301 Weighed off, to be, to be brought up before an officer and punished. 1945 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) V. 54 P.O. Prune will have to investigate and deal with a charge..and possibly weigh off the first delinquent of his service career. 1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights i. 22 You just got weighed off yesterday? 1963 T. & P. Morris Pentonville ii. 20 One young man..commented that he had been ‘weighed off at X Assizes by some old geezer togged up like Father Christmas’. 1978 B. Norman To nick Good Body x. 81 Another was in custody..waiting to be weighed off. |
f. to weigh in: to weigh (an air passenger's luggage) before departure; to subject (a passenger) to this procedure. See excess luggage s.v. excess 6 b.
| 1934 Rhys-Williams Diary 1 Aug. (MS.), Left Eaton Place at 4.30 p.m. for Victoria, where we were ‘weighed-in’, and had our luggage weighed and labelled. 1961 L. Deighton Ipcress File v. 30 She weighed in my wardrobe case. 1970 New Yorker 16 May 41/2 The porter..takes her bag and follows her to the desk to have it weighed in. |
g. Angling. to weigh in: of an angler, to have (one's catch) officially weighed at the end of a competition. Also absol.
| [1928: see weigher 3 a]. 1949 Club Anglers' Jrnl. Nov. 14/1 The river fished well and the winner weighed-in 6 lb. 4 oz. 12 drm. 1972 Match Rules (Nat. Fed. Anglers) in E. Marshall-Hardy Angling Ways (1973) xxxix. 306 No competitor may have his catch weighed in who has litter lying on the banks of his swim. 1976 Wymondham & Attleborough Express 17 Dec. 22/5 Only 10..competitors weighed in,..but..Frank Kilbourn..float fished to take 9–2 of good roach. |
8. a. To measure a definite quantity of (a substance) on the scales. Usually with out: To portion out (a quantity measured by weight) from a larger mass; to apportion (such a quantity) to (a person or persons); † to measure exactly or to the full weight (obs.). Also with in, into: To introduce a specified weight of (a substance), to add as an ingredient.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 745 And of that coper [he] weyed out [Cambr. MS. vp] but an ounce. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. iii. 33 b, We began to way out the bisket vnto the gallie slaues. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. ii. 35 For at the first they all created were In goodly measure, by their Makers might, And weighed out in ballaunces so nere, That not a dram was missing of their right. 1615 R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 88 We wayed out the wax which came in the Hozeander, and fownd it want a tonne. 1616 Ibid. 111 We waid out the pepper to day for the king. Ibid. 217 He delivered or wayd out much more to Tomo Dono and Cushcron Dono. a 1646 J. Burroughes Exp. Hosea iii. (1652) 197 Never did any skilfull Physitian more carefully weigh out to every dram what the potion should be that is to be given to a child, than God doth weigh out every affliction that he sendeth upon his children. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. iii. (1842) 75 No further difficulty will now arise in the way of graduating a tube. The 34.25 grains of mercury are to be weighed in... Another 34.25 grains of mercury are to be weighed into the tube to the metal already contained in it. Ibid. xii. 283 If it be found that as many parts of the acid have been used as of grains of the carbonate weighed out, the acid is of proper strength. |
† b. To measure (a sum of money) by weight, in order to pay it to (a person). Chiefly in Biblical renderings. Also with out, down. Obs. (So OE. aweᵹan, G. wägen, dar-, zuwägen.)
| 1382 Wyclif Zech. xi. 12 And thei weyȝiden my meede, thritti platis of syluer. 1388 ― Job xxviii. 15 Nether siluer schal be weied [1382 peisid] in the chaungyng therof. 1535 Coverdale Jer. xxxii. 10, I..weyed him there the money vpon the waightes. ― Zech. xi. 12 So they wayed downe xxx. syluer pens, y⊇ value that I was prysed at. 1585 Higins Junius' Nomencl. 492/2 An officer that weyed out mony for soldiers wages. 1607 Dekker & Webster Westw.-Hoe ii. i, Some [are] cutting purses, some cheating, some weying out bribes. |
c. fig. To dispense or administer (justice) impartially.
| c 1400 26 Pol. Poems i. 14 Weye o lawe in euenhede, By⁓twen ffauour and vengeaunce. 1562 A. Scott Poems i. 29 (To Q. Mary) Waye iustice, equale without discrepance. |
9. a. intr. in Horse-racing. Of a jockey: To take his place in the scales, in order that his declared weight may be verified by the clerk. to weigh out (weigh in), to do this before and after a race. (Cf. 7 d.) Similarly in Boxing, to weigh in: said of a boxer (turning the scales at a particular weight) before a fight. Hence in general colloq. use.
| 1805 Weatherby's Racing Cal. XXXII. p. xxxviii, That every person who shall ride at Newmarket for Plate, Sweep⁓stakes, or Match, shall be obliged to weigh when he comes in. 1858 Rules of Racing §37 Jockies are required to weigh at the usual place of weighing, before the race,..and every rider is, immediately after the race, to ride his horse to the usual place of weighing,..and to weigh to the satisfaction of the person appointed for that purpose. 1868 G. J. Whyte-Melville White Rose I. xiv. 174 Their riders are drinking sherry..preparatory to ‘weighing in’. Ibid. 182 Mr. Snipe, returning to weigh after an easy victory. 1877 Rules of Racing §31 Weighing out and starting. Ibid. §34 Weighing in. 1879 J. Rice Hist. Turf I. 298 The rider of Musjid..is said to have weighed in and weighed out with a whip weighing 7 or 9 lbs. and to have exchanged it for a lighter whip before and after the race. 1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xviii. 307 He was six feet four and weighed in at 135. 1920 Masefield Right Royal 33 When the clock struck three and the men weighed out. Ibid. 119 Then the riders weighed-in, and the meeting was over. 1931 Daily Express 13 Oct. 1/7 Both boxers weighed in this afternoon. 1958 S. Wilcox 3 Days Running vii. 79 When at last I was able..to ‘weigh-in’ ..I weighed five pounds more than at the beginning of the day. 1966 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 5 Dec. 6/1 The complete inertial package weighs in at only 14 pounds. 1979 SLR Camera Mar. 35/1 The compact ‘Zuiko’ 1000mm measures just 26 inches and weighs in at around eight and a half pounds. |
b. Hence to weigh in with: to introduce or produce (something that is additional or extra). colloq.
| 1885 Daily News Nov. (Passing English, 1909) The journal ‘weighs in’ with a prismatic Christmas number. 1901 Macm. Mag. Apr. 464/1 Carver..used to sit up and snort a bit when we weighed in with hock and seltzer instead of tea. 1921 D. G. Mackail Romance to Rescue i. 9 A Rhodes scholar weighed in with praise of Greenwich Village. |
c. fig. to weigh in: to bring one's weight or influence to bear; to enter a forceful contribution to a discussion, etc. colloq.
| 1909 G. B. Shaw Let. 31 July (1972) II. 854, I want you to ask the Chief Rabbi to weigh in. 1919 Beerbohm Seven Men 147 A few weeks later the Anglo-Indians weigh in. In due course we have the help of our Australian cousins. 1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart iii. iii. 378 The telephone crisis..had been the moment for Lilian to weigh in. 1956 A. L. Rowse Early Churchills 221 The Princess Anne, in her constant rôle of fairy godmother to the Marlboroughs, weighed in; nor could it have been done with more tact and good feeling. 1976 Milton Keynes Express 4 June 38/4 Sim weighed in with 4–27 off eight overs. |
d. To launch into and attack (a person, etc.). Also fig. colloq.
| 1941 Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 81 Weigh into someone, to attack, wade into a person in a fight. 1976 F. Warner Killing Time i. i. 8, I survived the war,..and then, if I was a minute after 9.30 in the evening, my Mother would weigh into me. |
10. a. trans. To hold (an object) in the hand (or in both hands) in order to observe or estimate its weight; to balance an object in the hand (or hands) as if estimating its weight.
| 1540 Palsgr. Acolastus ii. iii. M j b, Waye me this gyrdel heuy with moche golde .i. fele me this girdell, howe heuy it is with golde. 1781 Cowper Expost. 343 Who poises and proportions sea and land, Weighing them in the hollow of his hand. 1815 Scott Guy M. lvii, ‘But why should he know of it?’ said Glossin, slipping a couple of guineas into Mac-Guffog's hand. The turnkey weighed the gold, and looked sharp at Glossin. 1838 Dickens O. Twist xxiii, Mr. Bumble..counted the teaspoons, weighed the sugar⁓tongs. 1848 ― Dombey lvi, He remained before him weighing his white hat in both hands by the brim. 1911 H. W. & F. G. Fowler Concise Oxf. Dict. s.v., [He] meditatively weighed his stick in his hand. |
b. To keep (the wings) evenly outspread in flight. poet.
| 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 1046 Satan..in the emptier waste, resembling Air, Weighs his spread wings. |
11. fig. (with more or less retention of the literal idea or expression): a. To estimate, assess the value of (a person, a condition, quality, etc.), as if by placing in the scales.
| a 1200 Moral Ode 63 in Lamb. Hom. 163 Þer me scal ure werkes weien biforan þe heuen king. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 152 Þe same Mesure þat ȝe Meten A-mis oþer elles, Ȝe schul be weyen þer-with whon ȝe wenden hennes. 1382 Wyclif Job vi. 2 Wolde God, my synnes weren weȝed..in a balaunce. 1387 Trevisa Higden III. 129 Þou art i-weye on a balaunce and i-founde þat þou hast lasse [Dan. v. 27]. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 29 b, Our sayd lorde..at the houre of our iudgement shall ponder and wey euery mannes encrease or decrease. 1549 Bk. Com. Prayer, Communion, Not waiyng our merites, but pardonyng our offences. 1557 North Gueuara's Diall Pr. Prol. A i, God doth not way us as we are, but as we desier to be. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. iv. 27 Accursed vsurie was all his trade, And right and wrong ylike in equall ballaunce waide. 1670 Dryden 1st Pt. Conq. Granada iii. (1672) 22 Friendship..weighs by th' lump, and, when the cause is light, Puts kindness in to set the Ballance right. 1736 Berkeley Discourse Wks. III. 419 Were all men to be weighed in the exact scale of merit. 1744 M. Bishop Life 97 Where such a cross⁓grain'd Piece of Stuff is concerned..one should ponder with inward Consultations, to be able to weigh him to a Hair. 1781 Cowper Hope 366 That heav'n will weigh man's virtues and his crimes With nice attention, in a righteous scale. 1815 Byron Hebrew Mel., Vis. Belshazzar vi, He, in the balance weigh'd, Is light and worthless clay. 1872 Blackie Lays Highl. 134 God numbers not the heads, but weighs the hearts Of them that worship. 1897 ‘Ouida’ Massarenes xxii, [She] had mentally weighed him, and found him wanting. |
b. To balance with or against (another object regarded as a counterpoise) in order to obtain a comparative estimate. Also to weigh together.
| 1513 More Rich. III, Wks. 47/1 Waye the good that they dooe, with the hurte that commeth of them. 1549 Bk. Com. Prayer Pref., If those men will waye their labor, with the profite in knowlege, whiche dayely they shal obtein by readyng vpon the boke. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. ii. 101 But in that Christall scales, let there be waid Your Ladies loue against some other Maid. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. ii. 45 For by no meanes the false will with the truth be wayd. 1609 Dekker Guls Horne-bk. i. heading, The old world & the new waighed together. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 8 Then wisely (good Sir) weigh Our sorrow with our comfort. 1647 Cowley Mistress, Love undiscovered ii, Forbid it Heaven my Life should be Weigh'd with her least Conveniency. 1781 Cowper Hope 178 The fragrant grove, th' inestimable mine, Were light when weigh'd against one smile of thine. 1823 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Tombs in Abbey, While we had been weighing anxiously prudence against sentiment. 1829 Napier Penins. War II. 265 He anxiously weighed his own resources against those at the enemy's disposal. 1868 Helps Realmah vi. x. (1876) 112 But of what weight was any mere earthly consideration of that kind when weighed against the danger of impiety? 1917 Q. Rev. Jan. 16 They held their lives to be of little price, when weighed against a nation's fidelity to its engagements. |
c. To make equal, balance (the year; i.e. to make night and day of equal length). poet.
Cf. Columella x. 42 Cum..paribus Titan orbem librauerit horis.
| 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 419 Now sing we stormy Stars, when Autumn weighs The Year, and adds to Nights, and shortens Days. 1720 Pope Iliad xxii. 39 The Year when Autumn weighs. |
12. a. To consider (a fact, circumstance, statement, etc.) in order to assess its value or importance; to ponder, estimate, examine, take due account of; to balance in the mind with a view to choice or preference.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 323 Ȝif we weyn aryht dispensis bi lore of þe hooly goost. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 384 (398) And weyen every thyng by equite. 14.. Lydg. Horse, Goose & Sheep 150 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 21 Ye prudent Iugis..Weieth this mater in your discrecioun. 1456 Sir G. Haye Gov. Princis (S.T.S.) 147 Cast all thair counsailis ilkane till othir in thy mynde, and wey thame as thou thinkis the caus requeris. 1533 Star Chamber Cases (Selden Soc.) II. 300 They wayeing in thaire myndes the force of the saide acte. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 266 b, He desyreth them..that they would way the whole case diligently. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ix. 20 She, now weighing the decayed plight And shrunken synewes of her chosen knight. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. iv. 197. 1653 W. Ramesey Astrol. Restored 181 If thou hast seriously weighed the foregoing rules. 1697 Dryden æneis xii. 70 Weigh in your Mind the various Chance of War. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 43 ¶2, I have well weighed that Matter. 1742 Fielding J. Andrews iii. iii, I weighed the consequences on both sides as fairly as I could. 1775 Sheridan Rivals iii. i, I have been likewise weighing and balancing what you were pleased to mention concerning duty. 1847 J. Yeowell Anct. Brit. Ch. iii. 34 Let any thinking man weigh this singular circumstance. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 39 The jurymen,..being little accustomed to weigh evidence, followed without scruple the directions of the bench. 1855 Poultry Chron. III. 32 They never came to a decision without duly weighing the pros and cons. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola xx, The difficulty of the moment was too pressing for him to weigh distant consequences. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. iii. II. 390 The king is wise; his wrath will well be weighed. |
| absol. 1796 Wordsw. Borderers ii. 645 Men who are little given to sift and weigh. |
b. To ponder and examine the force of (words or expressions). to weigh one's words: to speak deliberately and in calculated terms.
| 1340 Ayenb. 255 Huo þet ne weȝþ his wordes ine þe waye of discrecion. Ibid. 256 Huer me ssel weȝe þet word er hit be yzed. 1576 Gascoigne Steel Glas 215 Words of worth, and worthy to be wayed. 1579 Lodge Def. Plays 16 If we way Poetes wordes and not ther meaning, our learning in them wilbe very mene. a 1584 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 1164 Then Hope replyd,.. And wyselie weyd his words. a 1631 Donne Lett. (1651) 309 The old King thought the preacher never had thought of his sermon, till he spoke it... I knew that he had weighed every syllable, for halfe a year before. 1655 in Verney Mem. (1907) II. 14, I must..weigh my words before they are sent abroad. 1725 Pope Odyss. xiii. 62 His words well-weigh'd, the gen'ral voice approv'd. 1846 J. Martineau Ess. (1869) II. 64 The moralist..has far other work than to weigh expressions and analyze definitions. 1848 Dickens Dombey xxii, Mr. Carker read this slowly; weighing the words as he went. 1877 Huxley Techn. Educ. Sci. & Cult. (1881) 82, I weigh my words when I say that if the nation could purchase a potential Watt, or Davy, or Faraday, at the cost of a hundred thousand pounds down, he would be dirt-cheap at the money. |
c. with object-clause. Now rare.
Often to weigh by, weigh with, weigh within oneself.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 152 Ponderynge and weyenge also that of all vertues mercy is moost necessaryly requyred to this myserable worlde. 1549 E. Allen Jude's Par. Rev. xi. 16 Whether any suche thynge..maye hereafter happen, let euery true christen harte..well consyder and wey by himselfe. 1553 Brende Q. Curtius v. 81 They wayed also that both the sauegard of them, and of the king lay in the handes of one that was a prisoner. 1553 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) III. App. xi. 30, I beseech yow..waye wyth your self, what a good Master our hevenlye Father ys unto yow. 1573 Bedingfield tr. Cardanus' Comf. ii. (1576) 18 b, If they would waye wyth themselues, that all men..haue the vse of reason. 1578 Whetstone 2nd Pt. Promos & Cass. v. v. M 1, Good Maddame way, by lawe, your Lord doth dye. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. cxx. 8 And I a tyrant haue no leasure taken To waigh how once I suffered in your crime. 1621 T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard A 2 b, Well weighing with my selfe, that it was a Work might yeeld some profit to my Countrie men of England. 1675 Dryden Aurengz. v. (1676) 80 You thought me dead, and prudently did weigh Tears were but vain. 1683 Pennsylv. Arch. (1852) I. 75 We ye free People of ye Town..of Salem..weighing well in ourselves y{supt} nothing can more readily conduce to our..Happiness, then a fair and just settlement of our Foundations [etc.]. 1803 Eldon in Vesey Chanc. Cases (1827) VIII. 427 The Court ought to weigh, whether the doubt is so reasonable and fair, that the property is left in his hands not marketable. 1825 Scott Talism. iii, He weighed within himself, whether [etc.]. 1841 Myers Cath. Th. iii. §42. 161 Let any one weigh well what it is to translate such a collection of documents as constitute the Bible. |
d. to weigh up: to appraise, form an estimate of (a person). colloq.
| 1894 Westm. Gaz. 15 Feb. 5/1 The Liberal delegates were fervid only when ‘weighing-up’ the House of Peers and insisting upon its disestablishment. 1897 ‘O. Rhoscomyl’ White Rose Arno 43, I will watch him closer for the future. I should have come up earlier now, but that I was weighing up his servant, an arrant Whig and a spy to boot. 1904 Daily Chron. 14 Jan. 7, ‘I knew too much about her,’ she said. ‘I had weighed her up.’ |
† 13. a. To esteem, value, think highly of; to count dear or precious; to ascribe value or importance to. Often with negative: (Not) to care for or regard. Obs.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 336 Kunde of gode heorte is to beon of⁓feared of sunne, þer as non nis ofte; oðer weien swuðer his sunne summechere þen he þurfte. Weien hit to lutel is ase vuel, oðer wurse. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 923 That lord hath litel of discrecion, That in swich cas kan no diuision, But weyeth pride and humblesse after oon. 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. x. 335 Whi therfore schulen we ouer miche weie and apprise his seiyng? 1496–7 Act 12 Hen. VII, c. 12 Preamble, The same Kyng.., not fearyng Almyghty God in breking his seid promys nor weiyng his Honour in the same. 1567 Harman Caveat 64 Take no care for that, for I doe not greatly waye it; it was worth but three shyllinges foure pens. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. June 73 Nought weigh I, who my song doth prayse or blame. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 27 You waigh me not, O that's you care not for me. 1592 Daniel Compl. Rosamond xxiii, Henry the second, that so highly weigh'd mee. 1595–7 Lyly Wom. in Moon iii. ii. 289, I, he wayes more his flocke then me. 1633 Massinger New Way iii. iii, My deeds, nephew, Shall speake my loue, what men report, I waigh not. 1676 Sir W. Temple in Essex Papers (Camden) II. 81 The Estates would bee enough inclinable to it as weighing interest more than honour. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 1306/2, I do not weigh you a pin..Non ego te flocci facio. |
† b. with adj. compl. (light, dear, etc.). Obs.
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. cxvi. v, Thy people all beholding, Who dear their deaths dost weigh. 1592 Arden of Feversham i. i. 361 To let them see how light I wey their words. a 1599 Spenser F.Q. vii. vi. 55 Them all, and all that she so deare did way, Thence-forth she left. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. iv. 43 In cases of defence, 'tis best to weigh The Enemie more mightie then he seemes. 1601 ― All's Well iii. iv. 32 Let euerie word waigh heauie of her worth, That he does waigh too light. |
† 14. intr. a. To pay heed or deference to. Sc.
| 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. cxx, Myn effectis grete, Vnto the quhich ȝe aughten maist weye. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 157 Suppos thai have na soverane to quham thai wey, bot anerly God allane. |
† b. with of: To ponder, consider (something); to judge of, estimate, value, care for. Obs.
| 1573 New Custom D iij b, God waieth not..Of any vesture, or outward apparance a mite. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist., Euseb. v. v. 82 But weye of this euery man as pleaseth him. 1584 Lodge Forbonius & Prisc. 35 Solduvius, not..willing to weigh of the submissiue request of his daughter, interrupted her thus. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. vii. 29 Vnworthy she to be belou'd so dere, That could not weigh of worthinesse aright. |
† c. with negative: (Not) to hesitate to (do something). Obs.
| 1573 L. Lloyd Pilgr. Princes 14 The women of Scithia called Amazones..wayed not to encounter with Hercules in the fielde. |
III. To have heaviness or weight.
15. intr. Of a material object or substance: To have a greater or less degree of heaviness, as measured by the scales. a. To be equal to or balance (a specified weight) in the scales.
The specifying word is to be regarded as a predicative complement rather than as governed by the verb.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 92 Se sester sceal weᵹan twa pund be sylfyr ᵹewyht. a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. xlv. (1883) 228 ælc an haᵹelstan weᵹeð fif pund. 13.. Sir Beues 1424 A dede Beues binde to a ston gret, þat weȝ seue quarters of whet. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 454 Hir couerchiefs..I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound, That on a sonday weren vpon hir heed. 1387 Trevisa Higden III. 207 Oon of the hameres weiede tweie so moche as anoþer. 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. iv. (1883) 111 One framosian had promysed to hym as moche weyght of pure gold as the heed weyed. 1529 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. (1883) 177 Ane silver spune and a masar veand 3 uncis. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 34 The fleshe therof wayed .xlvij. pound weyght. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. i. 28 Here's the note How much your Chaine weighs to the vtmost charect. 1655 Marquis of Worcester Cent. Inv. §69 A little..Key, not weighing a Shilling. 1675 R. Vaughan Coin & Coinage 75 They'd have it..so as the Pieces of Silver and Gold should weigh one the other. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. IV. 44 Some of them [sc. marmots] are found to weigh above twenty pounds. 1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 891 The gum weighed 3 per cent of the almonds analyzed. 1856 J. Richardson Recoll. I. vi. 145 In person he was tall and corpulent, weighing something over twenty stone. |
b. with adv. or pred. adj.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 232 Hwon two bereð one burðene ant te oðer bileaueð hit, þeonne mei þe þet holdeð hit up iuelen hu hit weihð. c 1290 St. Michael 395 in S. Eng. Leg. 311 Heouene geth al aboute þe eorþe, euene it mot weyȝe. a 1300 Vox & Wolf 237 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 66 He lep in [the bucket], and way sumdel. 13.. St. Cristofer 364 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 458 The childe swa heuy woghe Þat ofte-sythes one knees he hym droghe. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1788 (Fairfax) And as she woke, hir bed she felt presse. What best ys that, quod she, that weyeth thus? c 1440 York Myst. xxx. 136 A! sir, yhe whe wele! c 1475 Macro Plays, Mankind 692 Ther ys to moche cloth, yt weys as ony lede. 1481 Caxton Godfrey cxxxviii. 205 They..becam stronge, and delyuer in suche wyse that the armes that they bare weyed nothyng as them semed. 1581 A. Hall Iliad x. 174 His shield that waightie waied. 1586 Whitney Choice Embl. 41 The heauie loade, did weye so harde behinde. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iv. xv. 32 Heere's sport indeede: How heauy weighes my Lord? 1779 Cowper Yearly Distress 48 Like barrels with their bellies full, They only weigh the heavier. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. x, His fingers fumbled as if..the other [sc. his beaver] had weighed equal with a stone of lead. |
16. a. fig. (with more or less retention of the literal idea or expression).
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 332 Misericordia superexaltat judicium [Jas. ii. 13]:..his merci touward us weieð euer more þen þet rihte nearuwe. 1340 Ayenb. 91 Loue is þe wyȝte ine þe balance..uor non oþer þing ne may weȝe, huanne me comþ to nime ech his ssepe, bote loue and charite. c 1386 Chaucer Monk's T. 243 Thy regne is doon, thou weyest noght at al. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 275 Ther ben manye of these Lovers, that thogh thei love a lyte, That scarsly wolde it weie a myte Yit wolde thei have a pound again, As doth Usure in his bargain. c 1440 Jacob's Well 4 Ȝe weyin now in mennys hertys, in dreed of ȝoure myȝt, more þan all þe world, for all þe world dare noȝt wythstonde ȝou. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xlv. 177 For synne is not lyȝt, but it is hevy, and weythe more than lede. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 332 One must proue greatest. While they weigh so euen, We hold our Towne for neither: yet for both. 1599 ― Much Ado v. i. 93, I know them, yea And what they weigh, euen to the vtmost scruple, Scambling, out-facing, fashion-monging boyes. 1601 ― All's Well iii. iv. 31 Let euerie word waigh heauie of her worth. |
† b. To amount or be equivalent to. Obs.
| 1529 More Dyaloge iv. xi. 108 b/2 Yt gaue hym occasyon to dowt lest Luther ment not al thing so euyl as his wordys seme to way to. 1588 Lambarde Eiren. ii. iv. (ed. 3) 152 Whether a man doe actually vse force in his entrie, or doe come so readily appointed and araied for it,..it seemeth to weigh to a violent (or Forcible) entrie. |
† c. to weigh with (also even with): to counterpoise in power, value, etc.; to be of equal value or importance with. Obs.
| 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. ii. 196 In euery thing, the purpose must weigh with the folly. 1607 ― Timon i. i. 146 Giue him thy Daughter, What you bestow, in him Ile counterpoize, And make him weigh with her. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. iii. (1674) 4 France may vie and weigh even with Greece it self, in point of Learning. |
d. to weigh against, † weigh again: to counterbalance, countervail.
| c 1410 [see 20]. 1590 Greene Never too late ii. (1600) K 4 b, Hee that seeketh to way against his owne will, oftentimes kicketh against the prick. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. iii. 55 Much more, in this great worke..should we..know our owne estate, How able such a Worke to vndergo, To weigh against his Opposite? 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike iv. 47 Such evils..can neither be helped nor be allowed to weigh against the advantages of union. 1884 Gilmour Mongols xviii. 216 He believes that every sin will weigh against him, and drag him down in the scale of being. |
e. quasi-trans. To equal (something else) in weight or value; to counterbalance; † to be tantamount or equivalent to.
| 1583 Greene Mamillia i. 6 b, So that eyther thou couldest sooth her with a frumpe, or els lay a loading carde on her backe, should wey a scoffe. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 26 Indeed I waigh not you, and therefore light. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, i. i. 11. Ibid. iii. ii. 259 The heads of all thy Brother-Cardinals..Weigh'd not a haire of his. 1893 Westm. Gaz. 21 Mar. 3/2 There are difficulties..in the poem. Only they do not weigh the enormous difficulty of a multiplicity of Homers. |
† f. absol. Of two things: To balance each other. Obs.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) I. xliii. 59 So that finally the good and the yuell wayed. |
17. intr. To be of (much or little) value or account; to be regarded as considerable or important; to have influence with (a person) when he is forming an estimate or judgement.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶367 (Hengwrt MS.) Dedly synne, whan the loue of any thyng weyeth in the herte of man as muche as the loue of god or moore. 1535 W. Stewart Cron. (Rolls) III. 313 And his command with him richt litill weyit. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxv. §5 Why things so light in their owne nature should waigh in the opinions of men so much. 1659 Nicholas Papers (Camden) IV. 179 Younge Darby [6th Earl], whoe nowe weighes much less then his name formerly hath donn. 1670 Milton Hist. Brit. iii. 107 Pleasing to God, or not pleasing, with them weighed alike; and the worse most an end the weightier. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 6 Dec. 1680, In truth, their testimonie did little weigh with me. 1705 Atterbury Serm. bef. Queen 28 Oct. 22 A Wise Man is then best satisfy'd..when he finds..that the same Argument, which weighs with Him, hath weigh'd with Thousands..before him. 1744 Kames Decis. Crt. Sess. 1730–52 (1799) 79 Nor ought it to weigh that Murray run the hazard of his factor's bankruptcy. 1838 Macaulay Let. to Napier in Trevelyan Life (1876) II. vii. 12 There is another consideration that weighs much with me. a 1853 Robertson Lect. (1858) ii. 51, I have not the vanity to say..that my name had weight with many; but it did weigh with some. 1870 Lowell Among my Bks., Rousseau 338 Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. 1899 Doyle Duet xiv. 199 Holland is a sound man, and his opinion would weigh with any judge. 1910 W. E. Beet Rise of Papacy ii. 79 The Roman verdict weighed much throughout Christendom. |
IV. To affect, or be affected, by weight.
18. a. trans. to weigh down: to draw, force, or bend down by pressure of weight; fig. to depress, oppress, lie heavy on. Similarly, to weigh back, † weigh on one side, weigh to the earth.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter vii. 17 He..likyd to be seruaunte of syn, swa þat his synn weghe him down, þat he neuer rise til þe rist of heuen. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Degrauo, The vine lodeth and weigheth downe the elme. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Feb. 232 The watrie wette weighed downe his head. 1595 Daniel Civ. Wars iv. lxxvi, O could the mighty but giue bounds to pride And weigh backe fortune ere shee pull them downe. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. i. 7 O gentle Sleepe..how haue I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh my eye-lids downe..? 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xiv. ii. 201 Then the rowers thought best to way the gallie on one side [L. unum in latus inclinare], and so to sincke her. 1611 Bible Wisd. ix. 15 The corruptible body presseth downe the soule, and the earthy tabernacle weigheth downe the minde that museth vpon many things. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 494 ¶4 There are many excellent Persons, who are weighed down by this habitual Sorrow of Heart. 1783 Cowper The Rose 4 The plentiful moisture incumber'd the flower, And weigh'd down its beautiful head. 1857 Buckle Civiliz. I. xi. 625 The people were weighed down by an insufferable taxation. 1858 Drayson Sport. Scenes S. Afr. 208 The Kaffirs returned, almost weighed down by the immense weight of meat. 1865 Swinburne Atalanta 1303 Falling and weighed back by clamorous arms Sharp rang the dead limbs of Eurytion. 1879 Pattison Milton xiii. 215 Causes other than the inherent faults of the poem long continued to weigh down the reputation of Paradise Lost. 1884 Contemp. Rev. Feb. 252 What, then, was the consuetudo carnalis which thus weighed to the earth this soul of fire, striving to ascend to its true home? |
† b. Without adv.: To depress, dispirit. Obs. rare.
| 1633 Fletcher & Shirley Night-walker i. (1640) B 3, You are light Gentlemen, Nothing to weigh your hearts. |
† 19. intr. a. Of the scale of a balance (with up or down): To rise or sink according as it holds the lesser or greater weight. Also gen. (with down): To sink through its own heaviness or load. Obs.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxii. (Laurence) 750 A gret pot..in þat balance has he done; þane ourys veyt vpe tycht [read rycht] sone. ? 1566 W. P. tr. Curio's Pasquin in Trance 65 That Deuill..doth all that he can to make his parte [of the balance] way downe the heauier. a 1626 Bacon Sylva §610 The Cause is the plenty of the Sap, and the Softnesse of the Stalke, which maketh the Bough, being ouer-loaden, and not stiffely vpheld, weigh downe. |
† b. to weigh with: to move with, follow the motion of (something that shifts or varies). to weigh against: to strive to make head against (the wind). Obs.
| 1553 Brende Q. Curtius iv. 34 b, Waying with the worlde, according as the tyme should alter [semper ex ancipiti mutatione temporum pendens]. a 1557 M. Basset tr. More's Treat. Pass. M.'s Wks. 1372/1 A fainte harted mayster of a shippe..shrinketh from the sterne, and..suffreth the ship alone to waye wyth the waues [puppim permittit fluctibus]. 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 263 And where thou sekes a quiet port, Thou dost but weigh agaynst the winde. |
20. trans. Of an object set in the scales (with down, up, † out; also † to weigh to the beam): To turn the scale when weighed against (something else); to outweigh, cause to rise in the scale. Also to weigh down (the balance or scale). Often fig.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden IV. 7 At þe laste þe stoon was leide in a balaunce, and he weieþ [MSS. α, β, γ, weygh, weyȝ, wayȝ] up al þat me myȝte leie aȝenst hym in þe oþer side. c 1410 Hoccleve Mother of God 21 Helpe me to weye Ageyn the feend, þat with his handes tweye, And his might, plukke wole at the balance To weye vs doun. c 1450 Knt. de la Tour 66 Her..euell dedes..weyed downe and ouercame her good dedes. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 221 When alle his synnys wern layde on þe balans and was nygh ouercomyn, then come thylke brennet dekon, and layde a grete pote on þe wey þe whech anon weyit vp al togedyr. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iv. 89 But in the Ballance of great Bullingbrooke, Besides himselfe, are all the English Peeres, And with that oddes he weighes King Richard downe. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. ix. 1 Hard is the doubt, and difficult to deeme, When all three kinds of loue together meet, And doe dispart the hart with powre extreme, Whether shall weigh the balance downe. Ibid. v. ii. 46 Yet all the wrongs could not a litle right downe way. 1601 Shakes. All's Well ii. iii. 162 We poizing vs in her defectiue scale, Shall weigh thee to the beame. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, iii. i. 88 My Friends, They that must weigh out my afflictions. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 14 Four Ounces of Vigo Dust, shall weigh him down more, than four Tun of Honesty. 1711 Swift Examiner No. 26 One Whig shall weigh down ten Tories. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop vii, Where all other inducements were wanting, the habitual carelessness of his disposition stepped in and still weighed down the scale on the same side. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 27 Mar. 7/3 Whose mistakes..are a thousand times weighed up by his countless individual deeds of true friendship. |
† 21. trans. To sway or influence (a person); to induce (a person) to (do something). Obs.
| 1571 Campion Hist. Irel. 121 When these wordes waighed him nothing, his owne man..began to reprove him for not relenting to so rich a proffer. 1586 J. Hooker Hist. Irel. in Holinshed II. 83/2 By the procurement as well of the arch⁓bishop as of all the cleargie [the legate] was weighed to giue the citizens absolution. |
22. intr. with on or upon. a. Of a thought, feeling, circumstance: To lie heavy on, depress (a person, his spirits, etc.). Also in indirect passive.
| 1775 Sheridan Duenna ii. iv, If either of you had known how each moment of delay weighs upon the heart of her who loves. 1820 Keats Lamia ii. 43 Where am I now? Not in your heart while care weighs on your brow. 1832 Tennyson Lotos-eaters 57 Why are we weigh'd upon with heaviness? 1838 Lytton Alice ii. ii, Something seemed to weigh upon her spirits. 1858 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 387 This London atmosphere weighs on me. 1863 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer's Greece II. xii. 47 The sceptre of despotism weighs oppressively on all free public life. 1909 J. L. Allen Bride of Mistletoe v. 147 The silence began to weigh upon her. |
b. To insist or dwell upon (a fact, argument, etc.). rare.
| 1817 H. T. Colebrooke Algebra, etc. Notes & Illustr. p. xlii, These facts will be further weighed upon as we proceed. 1818 ― Import Colonial Corn 70 Without weighing upon this surmise. |
23. The vb.-stem in combination: weigh-balk north. and Sc., the beam of a pair of scales or steelyard; pl. scales; weigh-bar = weigh-shaft; weigh-beam, a balance or steelyard; weigh-brods pl. Sc., boards used for the scales of a large balance; † weigh-gilt Sc., a payment for weighing (after Du. waaggeld, G. wage-, wägegeld); † weigh-leaf, a board or plate used as a scale; weigh-lock U.S., a canal-lock at which barges are weighed and their tonnage is settled; weighman, a man employed to weigh goods, etc.; in a colliery, one who weighs the tubs of coal as they leave the cage at the pit-mouth (for check-weighman see check-); weigh-master (cf. G. wagemeister, Du. waagmeester), the official in charge of a weigh-house or public scales; weigh-out, the verification of a jockey's declared weight before a race (see 9); weigh-shaft = rock-shaft. Also weigh-bridge, -house, -scale.
| 1485 Inv. in Ripon Ch. Acts (Surtees) 371, j *weybalke cum skales. 1593–4 Burgh Rec. Stirling (1889) II. 380 Quhat⁓sumever parson..in tym cuming borrow the use of thair wey balk to wey irone or wther geir. 1608 in Cochran-Patrick Early Rec. Mining Scot. (1878) 150 Ane grit weybak with the balance brodis thereto for weying the ore. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet ch. xxiii, To see a' ane's warldly substance capering in the air in a pair of weigh-bauks, now up, now down. |
| 1841 Civil Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. IV. 93/1 A lever is fixed upon the cross-head working in a link connected to a second lever fixed on a shaft or *weigh-bar across the engine, whereby a rocking motion is produced. 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 16 Beam-engine with its weigh-bar gearing. |
| 1492 in Wadley Notes Wills Bristol (1886) 178 My *weybernes [? read -bemes] with all my weights of lede. 1804 Local Act 44 Geo. III c. lv. §1 To..erect and set up..Weighbeams, Cranes. 1833 N. Arnott Physics (ed. 5) II. 11 If we balance a quantity of ice in a delicate weigh-beam. |
| 1578 Inv. R. Wardrobe (1815) 255 Ane pair of *wey broddis garnist with yron for weying of mettall with thair towis. |
| 1497 Halyburton Ledger (1867) 74 Hous hir, 12, *veygylt, 4 g. 1498 Ibid. 213 Item veygilt, ilk sek 4. |
| 1593 in Archaeologia (1853) XXXV. 436 For mending John Newarke's *way leaffe, broken in wayinge of lead, iij d. |
| 1835 F. Lieber Stranger in Amer. II. 140 The object of the greatest interest to me, in Utica, was a *weigh-lock—an American invention if I am not mistaken. The toll for freight on the canal is proportionate to weight. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining, Weighman. See Weigher. 1907 [see weigh-house]. 1917 Blackw. Mag. Apr. 630/1 The bigger fish were weighed on an ingenious balance, consisting of a long steel rod with a sliding weight, the whole suspended on a bit of string held aloft by the weighman. |
| 1617 in Heath Grocers' Comp. (1869) 428 The *Weymaster and his porters, which attended at the Guildhall. 1689 Ravenhill Acc. Comp. Grocers 4 The Grocers..may be well presumed (time out of Mind) to have had the management of the King's Beam, as an Office peculiar to them;..thay having had all along..the naming of the Weigh-Master, and the naming, placing, removing and governing of the four Porters, attending that Office, all to be elected out of their own Company. |
| 1886 Racing (Badm. Libr.) 67 It was, indeed, this absolute certainty as to the accuracy of the *weigh-out, which led to the detection of the attempted fraud when Catch-em-alive won the Cambridgeshire. |
| 1867–72 N. P. Burgh Mod. Marine Engin. 73 Motion is imparted to the lever *weigh shaft by a toothed quadrant keyed thereon. 1888 Lockwood's Dict. Terms 407 Weigh Shaft or Way Shaft.—..Sometimes called a reversing shaft. |
▪ IV. † weigh, v.2
Only OE. and early ME. Forms: 1 wecgan, 3rd sing. weᵹeð, pa. tense weᵹ(e)de, pa. pple. ᵹeweᵹd, 3 3rd sing. weieð, pa. tense wæide, 4 pa. pple. yweid.
[OE. węcgan = OHG. wegan, MHG. wegen (weak vb., with umlaut e; distinct from OHG. wegan, MHG. wegen str. vb. = weigh v.1), Goth. wagjan to shake; f. Teut. root *waᵹ-, ablaut-var. of *weᵹ-: see weigh v.1]
trans. To shake, toss, agitate, move about.
| a 1000 Boeth. Metr. vii. 35 Wyrce him siðþan his modes hus, þær he mæᵹe findan..grundweal ᵹearone: se to glidan ne þearf þeah hit wecge wind woruldearfoþa. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cviii. 25 Hi weᵹdan..heora heafod. c 1205 Lay. 20137 Swa þe hæȝe wude, þenne wind wode weieð hine mid mæine. Ibid. 21869 Heo wæiden in hære ærmen heore children ærmen. c 1315 Shoreham Poems i. 370 Þat makeþ man so hardiliche To stonde, and so merie Ine goste, Þat he ne may nauȝt yweid be Wiþ blanding ne wiþ boste. |