The compound noun "weight-lifting" is a transparent and modern formation from two core Germanic elements. "Weight," with its origins in Old English, signifies the object of the activity—the heavy mass. "Lift," borrowed from Old Norse, specifies the core action applied to that mass. The suffix "-ing" then nominalizes the verb phrase, turning the action into the name of the sport or practice. The term's logic is entirely literal, describing the activity of raising heavy weights, which became codified as an athletic discipline in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Structure: weight (mass) + lift (raise) + ing (action/activity) - weight: From Old English wiht, gewiht, meaning "a measure of weight, heaviness." It is a Germanic root related to the concept of having mass and being heavy. - lift: From Old Norse lypta, meaning "to raise, to air." It is a Germanic verb that entered English and refers to the action of moving something upwards. - ing: A suffix from Old English -ung, -ing, used to form nouns from verbs, denoting an action, process, or activity.