Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “weight” come from?

Weight comes from Middle English wight, Old English wiht, Proto-Germanic wihtiz, and Proto-Indo-European roots weǵʰ-, wekʷ-, and weyk- relating to movement or carrying.

weight (English): The force on an object due to the gravitational...

Definitions

  1. The force on an object due to the gravitational...

Ancestry of “weight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishweight—
2Old Englishwihtcreature, person, thing, being; weight
3LatinVectisIsle of Wight
4Proto-Celticwextātime, course, turn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

Words derived from “weight”

  • overweight
  • lightweight
  • heavyweight
  • counterweight
  • underweight
  • weightless
  • hundredweight
  • birthweight
  • weightlessness
  • weightlifting
  • paperweight
  • bodyweight
  • middleweight
  • featherweight
  • welterweight
  • weightlifter
  • pennyweight
  • makeweight
  • weightlessly
  • bantamweight
  • flyweight
  • cruiserweight
  • biweight
  • mediumweight
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →