weigh — to determine the weight of something using scales
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to determine the weight of something using scales
Pronunciation (IPA): /weɪ/
Example Sentences
- The elephant stepped on the scale and broke it - apparently it didn't want to weigh itself after the holidays!
- She had to weigh her words carefully when telling her friend that her new haircut looked 'interesting'.
- The doctor asked me to weigh myself, but I told him the scale was obviously broken.
weigh
VERB[/weɪ/]
to determine the weight of something using scales
Weighing a watermelon on scales
Weigh which way to go, that's all I can say!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old English 'wegan', meaning 'to carry' or 'to lift up'. Over time, the semantic focus shifted from the physical act of carrying to the practical determination of an object's heaviness, eventually narrowing to the specific sense of 'to measure weight'.
Breakdown
wegan (Old English: to carry, move) > weigh (to determine or measure weight). The semantic evolution reflects the connection between lifting/carrying something and assessing how heavy it is.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The elephant stepped on the scale and broke it - apparently it didn't want to weigh itself after the holidays!”
“She had to weigh her words carefully when telling her friend that her new haircut looked 'interesting'.”
“The doctor asked me to weigh myself, but I told him the scale was obviously broken.”
“I always weigh my luggage before traveling to avoid excess baggage fees.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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