# weigh

Pronunciation: say "WAY" /weɪ/

## Verb

1. To measure how heavy an object is, typically using a scale or balance.
   - Simple: To find out how heavy something is, usually with a scale.
   - _Jewelers weigh each gemstone to the nearest fraction of a gram._
   - _He weighed the package twice before mailing it._
2. To have a particular weight.
   - Simple: To have a certain weight when measured.
   - _An adult elephant can weigh over six tons._
   - _The manuscript weighed nearly two kilograms._
3. To judge the value or merit of something through careful thought.
   - Simple: To think carefully about how good or important something is.
   - _A good editor weighs every argument an author makes._
   - _Jurors must weigh the evidence presented at trial._
4. To measure out a set amount of something by its weight, often for sale.
   - Simple: To measure out an amount of something by how heavy it is, often to sell it.
   - _The pharmacist weighed out the exact dose of powder._
   - _Vendors weigh out grain into sacks at the market._
5. To think carefully about a matter or subject.
   - Simple: To think about something carefully before deciding.
   - _The committee weighs each proposal before voting._
   - _Scientists weigh competing theories against the available data._
6. To carry importance or influence when something is being judged.
   - Simple: To matter or count when people make a decision.
   - _Past convictions weigh heavily in sentencing decisions._
   - _His endorsement weighs more with voters than any advertisement._
7. To have heaviness; to be heavy and press down.
   - Simple: To be heavy, or to press down on something.
   - _The waterlogged beams weighed on the supporting wall._
   - _Wet sails weigh heavily and strain the rigging._
8. To raise a ship's anchor clear of the seabed.
   - Simple: To lift a ship's anchor up off the bottom of the sea.
   - _The bosun ordered the men to weigh the anchor before the tide turned._
   - _They weighed both anchors and let the current carry them out._
9. To raise anchor in preparation for sailing.
   - Simple: To pull up the anchor and get a ship ready to sail.
   - _The convoy weighed at first light and stood out to sea._
   - _They weigh at the turn of the tide._
10. To hoist something up, lifting it into the air or swinging it upward.
   - Simple: To lift something up into the air, or to raise it.
   - _Sailors weigh the spar up and lash it to the mast._
   - _The derrick weighed the timber slowly skyward._

## Noun

11. The act of weighing something; the measuring of its weight.
   - Simple: The act of measuring how heavy something is.
   - _A final weigh confirmed the shipment matched the invoice._
   - _The official recorded each weigh in the market ledger._

## Verb

12. To regard something as worthy of notice; to pay heed to it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To treat someone or something as worth noticing.
13. To form a judgment or estimate. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make a judgment or careful guess about something.
   - _Prudent men weigh before they commit to a course._
   - _She weighed amiss and lost the wager._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English 'weyen' and Old English 'wegan', going back to Proto-Germanic '*weganą' ('to move, carry, weigh') and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root '*weǵʰ-' ('to bring, transport'). It is related to Dutch 'wegen' and German 'wiegen', and is a doublet of 'wedge', 'wagon', 'way', and 'vector'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/weigh (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).