# weir

Pronunciation: say "WEER" US /wɪɹ/, UK/AUS /wɪə̯/

## Noun

1. A low dam across a river that controls how much water flows downstream; some have adjustable sections.
   - Simple: A low wall built across a river to control how much water flows past.
   - _Engineers installed a weir upstream to maintain a steady flow during the dry season._
   - _The old stone weir still controls the water level along that stretch of the canal._
2. A fence or enclosure placed across a river to trap and catch fish.
   - Simple: A fence or barrier set across a stream to trap fish as they swim through.
   - _The villagers maintained a weir at the river mouth to harvest migrating fish each fall._
   - _An old wooden weir still spans the creek where his grandfather once trapped eels._

## Noun

3. Seaweed; marine plant growth found along the shore and in the sea. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The leafy plants that grow in the sea, also called seaweed.

## Origin

From Middle English were, from Old English wer, from werian ("to dam up"), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan and Proto-Germanic *warjaną, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer- ("to cover"). It is cognate with Old Norse ver ("station for fishing") and Sanskrit वृणोति (vṛṇóti), and is related to warranty.

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