Weather v.

Forms: 5 wederyn, 5–7 wether, 6– weather. [f. WEATHER sb.

  OE. had wedrian, widirian, wuderian, ʓewiderian, to be (good or bad) weather = ON. viðra: see WEATHERING vbl. sb. 1. Cf. MHG. weteren (mod.G. wettern), to subject to wind and sun (= sense 1 below), witeren (mod.G. wittern) to storm, etc.; also WITHER v.]

  1.  trans. To subject to the beneficial action of the wind and sun; to air. a. Hawking (see quot. 1856). Also refl. and intr. in passive sense.

14[?].  in Harting, Perf. Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886), Introd. p. ix. For wetheringe yo^r hauke offer yo^r hauke water.

1575.  Turberv., Faulconrie, 134. When you haue kept hir two houres vpon the fist, then set hir in the Sunne to weather hir half an houre.

c. 1575.  Perf. Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886), 11. Set her to wether fastinge a longe tyme. Ibid., 14. In myste they will neuer wether, nor flye well.

1615.  Markham, Country Contentm., I. vii. 88. Then he shall bee sure to weather his Hawke abroad euery euening except on her bathing daies.

1773.  J. Campbell, Mod. Faulconry, 191. Of Bathing and Weathering Hawks.

1856.  ‘Stonehenge,’ Brit. Sports, I. IV. § 5. 223/2. Hawks must also be weathered; that is to say, they should be put out on perches … in the open air, and then left … for many hours a-day, but not in the rain.

  transf.  1590.  Spenser, Muiopotmos, 184. And then he [the butterfly] pearcheth on some braunch thereby, To weather him, and his moyst wings to dry. Ibid. (1596), F. Q., V. iv. 42.

  b.  To air (linen, etc.); to dry thoroughly (a harvested crop).

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 519/2. Wederyn, or leyn or hangyn yn the wedyr, auro.

1530.  Palsgr., 780/2. I wether a thyng, I lay it abrode in open ayre. ayre. Je ayre.… It shall be well done to weather your garmentes in Marche for feare of mothes.

a. 1569.  Kyngesmill, Man’s Est., xii. (1574), F vj b. They may not flourish long: Euen as herbes that growe in the shadowe, neuer well weathered with the warme sunne.

1580.  Tusser, Husb. (1878), 129. Maides, mustard seede gather, for being too ripe, and weather it well.

1844.  Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., V. I. 269. After reaping … the produce of the several plots was well weathered, and then thrashed.

1847.  Halliwell, Weather, to dry clothes in the open air.

1892.  P. H. Emerson, Son of Fens, xvii. 173. ‘Well, the stuff [cut reeds] is rather heava, ain’t it?’ ‘It want to be weathered, bor.’

  c.  To expose (land, clay for brick- or tile-making) to the pulverizing action of the elements.

1548.  [see WEATHERING vbl. sb. 3 b].

1865.  Daily Tel., 3 Nov., 5/4. The clay bank, where the raw material is stored and ‘weathered.’

  2.  To change by exposure to the weather. a. trans. To wear away, disintegrate or discolor by atmospheric action. Const. into, to a specified form or condition. Chiefly in passive. Also with away. Also, to produce as an incrustation on a surface by the action of the weather. Spec. in Geol.

1757.  trans. J. F. Henckel’s Pyritol., v. 6. This leady clay … derived from a lead-ore, weathered and reduced to earth. Ibid., 87. On this sinter … we find glitter, iron and copper pyrites, not conveyed by streams of water, nor agglutinated, but weathered thereon, or produced by weather or damps.

1789.  [see WEATHERED ppl. a. 1].

1833.  Lyell, Princ. Geol., III. 210. The face of the limestone is hollowed out and weathered into such forms as are seen in the calcareous cliffs of the adjoining coast.

1867.  H. Macmillan, Bible Teach., xiii. (1870), 267. The rain-cloud hangs low … overhead; the smoke hovers around; and they weather the finest sculptured surface.

1878.  Ansted, Water & Water Supply, 89. It [sc. percolation] acts also very powerfully in weathering the rocks through which the water passes.

1918.  H. Balfour, in Man, XVIII. 147. The nose either was not represented or has been weathered away.

  b.  intr. To become worn, disintegrated or discolored under atmospheric influences. Const. into, to a specified condition. To weather out: to become prominent or isolated by the decay or disintegration of the surrounding rock.

1789.  J. Williams, Min. Kingd., II. 20. The grey granite begins to weather or decompose.

1839.  Murchison, Silur. Syst., I. xxxiii. 441. The lower shale is here clearly seen beneath the limestone, and weathers to the same light ashen colour as in Salop.

1862.  Ansted, Channel Isl., I. i. 7. Hard crystalline rock, decomposing or weathering by the constant action of the sea and weather.

1883.  Ruskin, Fors Clav., xcii. 207. The dark rock weathers easily into surface soil.

1885.  Sir J. W. Dawson, Egypt & Syria, v. 112. The baseless fables which connect Lot’s wife with the pillar-like masses of salt that weather out of the salt cliff of Jebel Usdum.

1914.  Moir, in Man, XIV. 179. These fragments of flint would in time, by thermal effects, ‘weather out’ and leave a clean-cut groove behind.

  c.  In pass., esp. of a crop: To be deteriorated by too long exposure to bad weather.

1821.  Clare, Vill. Minstr., I. 74. With feet nigh shoeless … And napless beaver, weather’d brown.

1875.  Ure’s Dict. Arts, III. 185. All barleys that have been weathered in the field … should be rigidly rejected [for malting].

  d.  intr. To wear (well or ill) under atmospheric influences.

1883.  R. Haldane, Workshop Rec., Ser. II. 436/2. For outside work, boiled oil is used, because it weathers better than raw oil.

  3.  Naut. a. trans. To sail to the windward of (a point or headland, another ship, etc.).

c. 1595.  Capt. Wyatt, R. Dudley’s Voy. W. Ind. (Hakl. Soc.), 18. Our carvell plyinge up into the winde weathered the saile which came from the shore.

1608.  W. Hawkins, in Hawkins’ Voy. (Hakl. Soc.), 383. We lay close E.S.E. with a S.W. wynd, seeking to wether Socotora but could not.

1627.  Capt. J. Smith, Sea Gram., xii. 57. You cannot boord him except you weather him.

1660.  Ingelo, Bentiv. & Ur., I. (1682), 170. When they have weather’d the Cape of Good-Hope.

1694.  Luttrell, Brief Rel. (1857), III. 323. Not being able to weather the Lizard Point because of the strong south west wind.

1703.  Burchett, Mem. Transactions at Sea, 141. Our Blue Squadron, that by a shift of Wind had weather’d the French.

1801.  Nelson, in Nicolas’s Disp. (1845), IV. 314. The Agamemnon could not weather the shoal of the middle, and was obliged to anchor.

1820.  Scoresby, Arctic Regions, II. 476. An impervious mass of ice … which … we could neither weather, nor discover a passage through.

1878.  Dixon Kemp, Yacht & Boat Sailing, 378/1. To weather is to pass on the windward side of an object. In cross tacking the vessel ‘weathers’ another that crosses ahead of her.

  b.  fig. To get safely round; to get the better of.

1626.  Donne, Serm., xxi. (1640), 210. That soule which is but neare destruction, may weather that mischiefe.

1654.  Whitelocke, Swed. Ambassy (1772), I. 449. Butt, through mercy, he weathered this point also.

1708.  Addison, Pres. St. War, 15. We have been tugging a great while against the Stream, and have almost weather’d our point.

1833.  Marryat, P. Simple, xxxvii. Peter, read me about Jacob, and his weathering Esau with a mess of pottage.

  † c.  To aim wide of (the mark) on the windward side. Obs. rare^–1.

1588.  Lucar, Tartaglia’s Colloq., Lucar Appendix, 4. Euery Gunner ought to weather the marke according to the hardnes of the winde, and the distance.

  d.  intr. To weather on or upon: to gain upon in a windward direction; also fig., to get the advantage of, take liberties with.

c. 1595.  Capt. Wyatt, R. Dudley’s Voy. W. Ind. (Hakl. Soc.), 16. Some fowre leagues of, wee sawe a saile to weather on us.

1706.  E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 35. How well soever he can weather upon others, he is never able to fore-reach upon his Commander.

1748.  Anson’s Voy., II. iv. 163. We had both weathered and fore-reached upon her considerably.

1829.  Marryat, F. Mildmay, xvii. How do you think the scoundrels weathered on me at last?

1836.  Fraser’s Mag., XIV. 475. I weathered upon my duty without discredit, my leisure without care, my liquor without quarrelling.

1863.  Reade, Hard Cash, I. ix. 252. The other [pirate] … came up to weather on him and hang on his quarters, pirate fashion.

1881.  Daily News, 9 June, 5/4. There is a triumph, too, which only a genuine yachtsman can feel when inch by inch a dreaded rival is weathered on.

  4.  trans. a. Naut. To withstand and come safely through (a storm). Often with out (also absol.).

1673.  Temple, Observ. United Prov., viii. 255. Such old Seamen in so strong a Ship that had weathered so many storms without loss.

1681.  H. Nevile, Plato Rediv., 22. [No more than] the Pilot and Marriners [are answerable] for not weathering out a Storm, when the Ship hath sprung a planck.

1748.  Anson’s Voy., I. vi. 62. Had they [the masts] weathered the preceding storm, it would have been impossible … to have stood against those … tempests we afterwards encountered.

1790.  Cowper, On Receipt of Mother’s Pict., 89. As a gallant bark … (The storms all weather’d and the ocean cross’d) Shoots into port.

1819.  Byron, Juan, II. xli. But the ship labour’d so, they scarce could hope To weather out much longer.

a. 1859.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxiv. V. 204. In the port lay fleets of great ships which had weathered the storms of the Euxine and the Atlantic.

1864.  Tennyson, Enoch Arden, 135. To sell the boat—and yet he loved her well—How many a rough sea had he weather’d in her!

1866.  R. M. Ballantyne, Shifting Winds, ii. She had sailed from the antipodes, bad weathered many a gale.

  b.  fig. or in fig. context. To come safely through (a period of trouble, adversity, affliction, etc.); to sustain without disaster.

1655.  Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. xvi. 192. He Weathered out the Raign of Queen Mary.

1671.  Caryl, Sir Salomon, IV. 66. My designs of Revenge are vain, and unjust. I must pull down my Sailes to weather out this storme.

1674.  Boyle, Excell. Theol., I. iii. 95. Afflictions slight and short may well be weather’d out by these Philosophical Avocations.

1706.  E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 78. They value no such Puffs, if they can but weather a Beating.

1772.  Mackenzie, Man of World, II. xx. After having weathered so many disasters, I at last arrived near the place of my nativity.

1775.  T. Jefferson, Lett., 4 July, in H. S. Randall, Life (1858), III. 568. If we can weather out this campaign, I hope that we shall be able to have a plenty [of gunpowder] made for another.

1787.  Burns, Let. Earl Glencairn, Dec. My brother’s farm is but a wretched lease, but I think he will probably weather out the remaining seven years of it.

1834.  Creevey, in C. Papers (1904), II. xii. 296. The Government … could not have weathered the session.

1849.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., x. II. 623. They were … thrown into the shade by two younger Whigs,… who weathered together the fiercest storms of faction.

1853.  Dickens, Bleak Ho., xiv. Pa told me, only yesterday morning,… that he couldn’t weather the storm. Ibid. (1865), Lett. (1880), II. 242. I rather doubt … their being able to weather it out.

1885.  Contemp. Rev., June, 906. Their proprietors are less indebted and weather a crisis better.

1900.  G. C. Brodrick, Mem. & Impr., 143. The other weathered a serious illness and lived on for two or three years.

  c.  gen. To pass through and survive (severe weather).

1680.  Otway, Orphan, IV. i. The Beasts that under the Warm Hedges slept, And weather’d out the cold bleak Night, are up.

1742.  T. Woodroofe, in Hanway, Acc. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea (1753), I. I. xvii. 113. We had weathered out the inclement season with as good spirits as could be expected in so bad a neighbourhood.

1785.  Cowper, Let. Lady Hesketh, 9 Nov., Wks. 1835, I. 171. I began … to fear I should never be able to weather out the winter in so lonely a dwelling.

1795–6.  Wordsw., Borderers, I. 513. My husband, Sir, Was of Kirkoswald—many a snowy winter We’ve weathered out together. Ibid. (1805), Waggoner, III. 80. Among these hills, from first to last, We’ve weathered many a furious blast.

1854.  Thoreau, Walden, xiv. (1863), 275. I weathered some merry snow storms.

  † d.  To take shelter from (a storm). Obs.

1742.  Fielding, J. Andrews, II. iii. They said there was a violent shower of rain coming on, which they intended to weather there [i.e., at an alehouse]. Ibid. (1749), Tom Jones, XII. viii. Partridge, with much earnest Entreaty, prevailed with Jones to enter, and weather the Storm.

1798.  Bloomfield, Farmer’s Boy, Winter, 296. Beneath whose trunk I’ve weather’d many a show’r.

  5.  intr. To weather along, † to weather it on: to sail or make headway in spite of wind and weather. Also to weather her way.

1599.  Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, D 3. [All] that euer Yarmouth vnshelled or ingendred to weather it on till they lost the North-starre.

1836.  W. Irving, Life & Lett. (1866), III. 91. I have ever since made my calculations to ‘weather along,’ as the sailors say, for some time to come, without any of the funds I have invested.

1881.  J. K. Scott, Galloway Glean., 14.

  6.  trans. To set (the sails of a windmill) at the proper angle to obtain the maximum effect of the wind-force. Cf. WEATHER sb. 4.

1745.  Phil. Trans., XLIV. 1. All which Sails [of a waterwheel] are weathered in the same Manner as those designed for Windmills.

1759.  Smeaton, Ibid., LI. 144. Plain sails weather’d according to the common practice.

1825.  J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 138. From which it appears that sails weathered in the Dutch manner produced nearly a maximum effect.

  7.  Arch. To slope or bevel (a surface) so as to throw off the rain; to furnish (a wall, buttress) with a weathering or water-table.

1833.  Loudon, Encycl. Archit., § 860. 13 feet 6 inches oak wrought, framed, and weathered (beveled to throw off the wet).

1878.  M‘Vittie, Christ Ch. Cathedral, Dublin, 66. A plinth which runs round the building, and is weathered in the depth of the buttresses by nine courses of water tables.

1879.  Cassell’s Techn. Educ., II. 294/1. Fig. 391 shows the manner in which the sill is sloped off, or ‘weathered.’