weir
SayWEER/wɪɹ/UK/wɪə̯/
Pluralweirs
- 1A low wall built across a river to control how much water flows past.
Like a low wall in a stream that lets water spill over the top while holding some back.
The town built a weir to stop the river from flooding the fields.
Water spilled gently over the top of the weir all afternoon.
Note
- 2A fence or barrier set across a stream to trap fish as they swim through.
Like a fence with a one-way gate that lets fish in but not out.
They built a weir across the shallow stream to catch salmon.
Fish swam into the weir and could not find their way back out.
Note
- 3The leafy plants that grow in the sea, also called seaweed.
Note
Practice
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Origin
From Old English wer, from a verb meaning "to dam up." It goes back to a very old root meaning "to cover."