weighting, vbl. n.
(ˈweɪtɪŋ)
[f. weight v. + -ing1.]
1. a. The action of the verb.
| 1865 Janet Hamilton Poems etc. (1870) 154 It's England mak's an' sign's the peace..; Whan Europe's balance gangs agee, She trims the scales for wechtin'. |
b. spec. The action or process of fraudulently adding weight to textiles (see weight v. 2 c).
| 1904 Tailor & Cutter 4 Aug. 480/2 Woollen Draper's Terms, Weighting: A process by which sulphate of zinc and other metals is absorbed in wool, and so adding weight. |
2. concr. Something used as a weight to press down, steady, or balance.
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1464/1 Weighting. Blocks put on a flask to keep the cope down under the upward pressure of the body of iron poured into the mold. 1907 Westm. Gaz. 16 Feb. 13/1 Another evening frock..has weightings of jet and silver at the foot and about the décolletage. |
3. The assignment of weights (weight n. 15 b); the weights so used.
| 1905 Westm. Gaz. 12 Jan. 3/1 A different system of weighting,..&c., may cause a difference of 1, 2..per cent. in the index numbers. 1940 [see weight n. 15 b]. 1965 Phillips & Williams Inorg. Chem. I. iii. 75 One general technique for improving on the first approximation by the V.B. method is to include additional structures..in the complete wave function, with appropriate weighting factors. 1972 Guardian 18 Feb. 13/5 Rents and eating out..accounts for 22 per cent of the ‘weighting’ of the [retail price] index. 1983 Personal Computer World Dec. 142/2 Each of the eight digits of the base number is given a weighting. |
4. An amount added to a salary for a special reason; esp. London weighting, that paid to compensate for the higher cost of living in the London area.
| 1946 Scheme of Conditions of Service (National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Admin., Profess., Techn. & Clerical Services) 19 The salary scales shall be weighted, as follows, in favour of officers employed in the London area:..{pstlg}20 weighting with proportionate weighting of female scales. 1952 Times 25 Jan. 2/7 The wording of the statement relating to the award did not make clear whether the recommended increase was meant to be over and above the weekly 10s. ‘weighting allowance’ granted to London [fire]men. 1958 Times 5 Dec. 3/2 Salary (including London Weighting) according to age and experience. 1976 Broadcast Dec. 17/1 Brief consideration was given to a number of items including: weighting for major towns and cities other than London, London weighting, interest on monies owed to staff, [etc.]. 1982 Daily Tel. 20 Oct. 1/1 The government is to end the annual publication of the London weighting index which is widely used as the basis for calculating extra payments for employees in London. |