a. Forms: 5 wehty, 6 Sc. wegh-, vech-, vych-, wych-, waich-, waychtie, 6–7 Sc. wechtie, 7 Sc. weychtie, 6, 9 Sc. wechty; 6 weyghty(e, 6–7 weightie, 5– weighty; 6 wayghty, wai(h)ti, wayt(t)y, 6–7 waighty, -ie. [f. WEIGHT sb.1 + -Y1.]
I. 1. Of a considerable or appreciable weight; that weighs a good deal, heavy.
1500. Ortus Vocab., Onerosus, heuy or wehty.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. xxvii. 3. The stone is heuy and the sonde weightie: but a fooles wrath is heuyer then they both.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., I. 24 b. The best seede also is that which is waightiest.
1665. Manley, Grotius’ Low C. Wars, 351. A very great Frost … had covered with Ice, both the Marshes and Rivers, that they would bear the greatest and most weighty Carriages.
1681. Chetham, Angler’s Vade-m., i. § 4. Let all the Hasle Rods be … no weightier than you can easily manage with one Hand.
1697. Dryden, Æneis, XII. 1284. Now stern Æneas waves his weighty Spear Against his Foe.
1711. Pope, Temple Fame, 429. As weighty bodies to the centre tend.
1852. Malpas, Builder’s Pocket-bk., 43. Many ceilings … have heavy cornices, pendants, and other weighty matters attached to them.
1879. J. C. Cox, Ch. of Derbysh., IV. 141. He … lies buried under a weighty uninscribed tomb.
fig. 1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., I. 63. By that path, their Crowne of glory had neither been so certaine, nor so soone, nor so waighty.
b. Of persons or animals: Of more than the usual size, large or bulky of body, corpulent. † Of soldiers: Heavily armed or equipped.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, II. Catal. Princes 39. And Iton breeder good or waightie felterd felled sheepe.
1590. R. Ferris, Dang. Adventure, B 2. We recouered him and got him vp againe (although he were a verie waightie man).
1670. Milton, Hist. Brit., II. 59. Ostorius … could hardly stay thir flight; till the waighty Legions coming on, at first poys’d the Battel, at length turn’d the Scale.
a. 1701. Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), 124. Upon the bough there sits a good weighty Fellow, to press it down to the bottom [of the water].
1819. W. Tennant, Papistry Storm’d (1827), 49. Auld Saunders Clerk, a man o’ echty, Though eild-encumber’t now and wechty.
c. Of great weight in proportion to its bulk, of high specific gravity.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 403/1. Argentum graue,… weightie siluer, or siluer in bulleon, as they call it.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 22 June 1664. It look’d like a fungus, but was weighty like metall.
1748. J. Hill, Hist. Fossils, 13. Friable, weighty, fine red Bole.
1796. Kirwan, Elem. Min. (ed. 2), I. 138. Baroselenite … Rough and harsh, but appears weighty.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 816. The successive percussions that it receives, determine the weightier matters, and consequently those richest in metal, to accumulate towards its upper end.
† d. Of coin: Of full weight, of the standard or legal weight. Obs.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 294. He that brings a weighty French crowne In specie to the Gold-smyths, they will give him six shilling six pence for it.
1691. Locke, Consid. Lower. Interest (1692), 156. He will … contract to be paid in weighty Money.
1730. Conduitt, Observ. Coins (1774), 52. If foreigners, who take our money in large parcels only by weight, are suffered to pour in light money upon us, at the same rate as if it were weighty.
2. Bearing down heavily as if weighted or of great weight; falling with force or violence.
1583. trans. Maison Neuve’s Gerileon, I. 61 b. If he had not by his agillitie and nimblenesse, eschewed the weightie blowes of the Giaunte.
1605. R. F., Dedekind’s Sch. Slovenrie (1904), 101.
| One servant thou with thundring threates and wrangling words must chide, | |
| Another must both brawling words and weightie blows abide. |
1725. Pope, Odyss., X. 198. Then leaning on the spear with both my hands, [I] Up-bore my load, and prest the sinking sands With weighty steps.
1738. Wesley, Ps. XXXII. viii. Whoe’er like Horse and Mule withstand…. I bruise beneath my weighty Hand.
II. 3. a. Of great gravity or significance; requiring earnest thought, consideration or application; highly important, serious, grave, momentous.
1489. Earl of Northumberld., in Plumpton Corr. (Camden), 61. For right weighty consideration me moving concerning the pleasure of the Kings highnes.
1503–4. Act 19 Hen. VII., c. 28. Preamble, Great and weyghtye maters concernyng the comen weale of this lande.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 163. My lordes, we haue perceiued the kyng your masters requests, which be greate and of a waightie Importaunce.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., II. i. 62. This was your default, That being Captaine of the Watch to Night, Did looke no better to that weightie Charge.
1606. Stock, trans. Whitaker’s Answ. Campian, 95. A waighty question … concerning lawfull ceremonies.
1646. Hamilton Papers (Camden), 129. You may judge how gladly I would impart things of waightier and more pleasing consequence.
1693. W. Freke, Sel. Ess., xxvi. 154. By Dissimulation and Trifles, sometimes the Weightiest Matters haue been discouered.
1718. Free-thinker, No. 65. 71. What weighty Negociations did He bring to a Conclusion!
1737. Pope, Hor. Epist., II. i. 379. Or choose at least some Minister of Grace, Fit to bestow the Laureate’s weighty place.
1769. Burke, Observ. Late St. Nation, Wks. 1842, I. 80. The questions of war and peace, the most weighty of all questions.
1809. Coleridge, Friend, No. 7. 109. There are three weighty motives for a distinct exposition of this Theory.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., III. iv. And now I am going seriously to tell you … four secrets. Mind! Serious, grave, weighty secrets.
b. Of a substantial or solid nature; ranking high in respect of importance or value.
In quot. 1744 employed sarcastically with allusion to sense 1.
1558. Bp. Watson, Seven Sacram., xxx. 193. To exchaunge the short and light affections of thys tyme, wyth the eternall and weyghty ioyes in the Kyngdome of heauen.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretorie, I. (1595), 49. The authority of Example is also very weighty.
1596. Nashe, Saffron-Walden, S 2. Were they weightie Treatises?
1653. W. Ramesey, Astrol. Restored, 110. You are to know that a more weighty planet, or that which is superiour cannot apply unto the lighter or inferiour, except when he is retrograde.
1744. Def. People, title-p., Full Confutation of the Pretended Facts, advanc’d in a late Huge, Angry Pamphlet…. In a Letter to the Author of that weighty Performance.
1816. Singer, Playing Cards, 165. Mr. Dibdin, whose authority upon this subject is the weightiest that could be possibly adduced, says, [etc.].
1874. Blackie, Self-Cult., 41. In these days, when the most weighty books may be had cheaply, in the lightest form.
1877. Huxley, Techn. Educ. Sci. & Cult. (1881), 84. Steps which will have a weighty and a lasting influence on the growth and spread of sound and thorough teaching.
4. a. Of an argument, utterance, etc.: Producing a powerful effect; adapted to influence or convince; forcible, telling, potent.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 114. With moste weightie wordes.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter Bk. (Camden), 12. Your wurship hath harde what forcible and waiti reasons M. Nevil hath usid against me.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., I. i. 148. Lyes well steel’d with weighty Arguments.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., II. 133. A speech … so gnomicall and waighty, that S. Augustin highly commends it.
1717. Prior, Alma, III. 44. No fool Pythagoras was thought; Whilst he his weighty doctrines taught.
1759. Robertson, Hist. Scot., I. iv. 264. But on the other hand several weighty objections had to be urged.
1856. Kingsley, Misc. (1859), I. ix. 331. Reflections very wise and weighty indeed.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq., II. ix. 334. Few and weighty were the words which the great Earl spoke that day.
1890. Law Times Rep., LXIII. 684/1. I must adopt the evidence on the other side, which I think is more weighty.
b. Of persons: Having great authority or influence; important or impressive in respect of position, views or utterance.
1662. Howell, New Engl. Gram., To Rdr. 4. Mr. Ben Johnson a Weighty man and one who was as patient as hee was painfull in all his composures.
1666–7. Pepys, Diary, 17 Feb. A mighty quick, ready man, but not so weighty as he should be.
1709. Swift, T. Tub, Author’s Apol. ¶ 6. Since the weightiest men in the weightiest Stations are pleased to think it a more dangerous point to laugh at those corruptions in religion.
1729. Butler, Serm., Wks. 1874, II. 49. There is not any necessity that men should aim at being important and weighty in every sentence they speak.
1853. Lytton, My Novel, XI. v. The great commoner, the weighty speaker, the expert man of business.
1860. Emerson, Cond. Life, v. (1861), 112. The argument is scouted, until by-and-bye it gets into the mind of some weighty person; then it begins to tell on the community.
1879. Huxley, Sensation, Sci. & Cult. (1881), 246. We sometimes hear it [this maxim] enunciated by weighty authorities, as if its natural consequence … had the force of a moral obligation.
5. Hard to bear or endure without failing or giving way; oppressive, burdensome, grievous.
1540. Palsgr., Acolastus, V. iv. Z ij b. I am tourmented withinforthe … with so weighty a charge of conscience.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 653. Like a wise prince, he alleged his insufficiencie for so great a rome and weyghty a burden.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, I. xvi. 73. He was beholden to the Romanes, that eased him of so weighty a burthen, and lessened his cares of gouernement.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 308, ¶ 1. The weighty Cares which you have thought fit to undergo for the publick Good.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xxii. I have lived ill, and the world has been too weighty with me.
1849. Lever, Con Cregan, xviii. There are hundreds, here, whose weightiest evil would be that they awoke an hour earlier than their wont.
† b. Rigorous, severe. Obs. rare.
1607. Shaks., Timon, III. v. 102. We banish thee for euer…, If after two days shine, Athens containe thee, Attend our waightier Iudgement.
† 6. Serious, grave; expressing seriousness or gravity, earnest, solemn. Obs.
1599. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., Prol. If any spirit breathes within this round, Vncapable of waightie passion.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., Prol. I. 2. I come no more to make you laugh, Things now, That beare a Weighty, and a serious Brow,… We now present.
1622. J. Taylor (Water P.), Sir Greg. Nonsense, Wks. (1630), II. 3/1. With that the smug-fac’d Pluto shook his vestment, Deepe ruminating what the weighty Iest ment.
1677. Penn, Trav. Holland, etc. (1694), 212. The Countess … lookt upon me with a weighty countenance, and fetcht a deep sigh, crying out, O the cumber and entanglements of this vain World!
7. = HEAVY a. 20.
1828. W. Irving, Life & Lett. (1864), II. 337. My chief fear of the work is that it may prove … in some parts heavy. I shall work it up, however, as much as possible, and endeavor to lighten it where it is weighty.
