weight
Meaning
The heaviness of an object; a measure of how heavy something is.
A piece of metal of known heaviness used on a scale to measure how heavy something else is.
A heavy object used to hold something down or provide balance.
The importance, influence, or seriousness of something.
To add a heavy object to something to make it heavier or more stable.
Structure
Usage
The weight of the package was just over two kilograms.
He added a small weight to the fishing line so it would sink.
Her opinion carries a lot of weight in the committee.
Etymology
The word 'weight' tells a story of action becoming a concept. Its core, 'weigh', began with the ancient Indo-European idea of movement and carrying (weǵʰ-). In Germanic, this evolved into the specific action of measuring heaviness by lifting. In Middle English, the addition of the nominal suffix '-t' transformed the verb into the noun 'weight', solidifying the abstract concept of heaviness itself. This logical progression—from the physical act of carrying, to measuring heaviness, to the resulting property measured—perfectly encapsulates how the modern meanings of measurable mass and metaphorical importance developed from a root about transportation.
Analysis
The morpheme 'weigh' originates from Old English 'wegan', meaning "to carry, move, weigh," from Proto-Germanic weganą, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- ("to bring, transport"). The final '-t' is a nominal suffix that developed in Middle English, forming nouns from verbs (similar to 'flight' from 'fly').