different between weight vs avail

English

Etymology

From Middle English weight, wei?te, weght, wight, from Old English wiht, ?ewiht (“weight”), from Proto-Germanic *wihtiz ("weight"; compare *wegan? (“to move”)), from Proto-Indo-European *we??- (“to move; pull; draw; drive”).

Cognate with Scots wecht, weicht (“weight”), Saterland Frisian Wächte (“scale”) and Gewicht (“weight”), West Frisian gewicht (“weight”), Dutch gewicht (“weight”), German Low German Wicht, Gewicht (“weight”) and German Gewicht (“weight”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?t, IPA^(key): /we?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t
• Homophone: wait

Noun

weight (countable and uncountable, plural weights)

1. The force on an object due to the gravitational attraction between it and the Earth (or whatever astronomical object it is primarily influenced by).
2. An object used to make something heavier.
3. A standardized block of metal used in a balance to measure the mass of another object.
4. Importance or influence.
   • 1907 Alonso de Espinosa, Hakluyt Society & Sir Clements Robert Markham, The Guanches of Tenerife: the holy image of Our Lady of Candelaria, and the Spanish conquest and settlement, Printed for the Hakluyt Society, p116

     Another knight came to settle on the island, a man of much weight and position, on whom the Adelantados of all the island relied, and who was made a magistrate.

   • 1945 Mikia Pezas, The price of liberty, I. Washburn, Inc., p11

     "You surely are a man of some weight around here," I said.

5. (weightlifting) An object, such as a weight plate or barbell, used for strength training.

6. (lubricants) viscosity rating.
8. (physics) Mass (atomic weight, molecular weight, etc.) (in restricted circumstances)
9. (physics, proscribed) Synonym of mass (in general circumstances)
10. (measurement) Mass (net weight, troy weight, carat weight, etc.).
11. (statistics) A variable which multiplies a value for ease of statistical manipulation.
12. (topology) The smallest cardinality of a base.
13. (typography) The boldness of a font; the relative thickness of its strokes.
14. (visual art) The relative thickness of a drawn rule or painted brushstroke, line weight.
15. (visual art) The illusion of mass.
16. (visual art) The thickness and opacity of paint.
17. Pressure; burden.
18. The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it.
19. (slang, uncountable) Shipments of (often illegal) drugs.

20. (slang, countable) One pound of drugs, especially cannabis.
    • 2002, Nicholas Dorn, Karim Murji, Nigel South, Traffickers: Drug Markets and Law Enforcement (page 5)

      [I was] doing a weight [1 lb. at that time] a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.
21. (criminal slang, dated) Money.
    • 1974, Martin R. Haskell, ?Lewis Yablonsky, Crime and Delinquency (page 96)

      No matter how much money he makes, he is still a soldier, but he has the weight.

Alternative forms

• wt. (abbreviation)

Derived terms

Related terms

• weigh

Coordinate terms

• mass
• inertial mass
• gravitational mass

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ???? (ueito)
• ? Burmese: ???? (wit)

Translations

Verb

weight (third-person singular simple present weights, present participle weighting, simple past and past participle weighted)

1. (transitive) To add weight to something; to make something heavier.
   1. (transitive, dyeing) To load (fabrics) with barite, etc. to increase the weight.
2. (transitive) To load, burden or oppress someone.
3. (transitive, mathematics) To assign weights to individual statistics.
4. (transitive) To bias something; to slant.
5. (transitive, horse racing) To handicap a horse with a specified weight.
6. (transitive, sports) To give a certain amount of force to a throw, kick, hit, etc.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English availen (“to be of use”), from Old French a (“to”) + vail (from valoir (“to be worth”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??ve?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Verb

avail (third-person singular simple present avails, present participle availing, simple past and past participle availed)

1. (transitive, often reflexive) To turn to the advantage of.

2. (transitive) To be of service to.

3. (transitive) To promote; to assist.

4. (intransitive) To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.
5. (India, Africa, elsewhere proscribed) To provide; to make available.

Antonyms

• disavail

Derived terms

• available
• disavail

Related terms

Translations

Noun

avail (plural avails)

1. Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions). [from 15^thc.]
   • Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

   • 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October:

     At half-time, Poyet replaced Wes Brown with Liam Bridcutt in the heart of defence and sent out the rest of the players to atone for their first-half mistakes. To no avail.

2. (now only US) Proceeds; profits from business transactions. [from 15^thc.]
   • 1862, Elijah Porter Barrows, The State And Slavery

     the avails of their own industry

3. (television, advertising) An advertising slot or package.
4. (US, politics, journalism) A press avail.

5. (Britain, acting) Non-binding notice of availability for work.
6. (oil industry) A readily available stock of oil.
7. (obsolete) Benefit; value, profit; advantage toward success. [15^th-19^thc.]
8. (obsolete, poetic) Effort; striving.

Usage notes

• (success or benefit): Very often encountered in negative phrases, such as of or to no or little avail.

Translations

Anagrams

• Alavi, Alvia, Avila