DIMENSIONS: MEASURE / Proportion
R E F E R E N C E S
1 Whole n. 1. the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; the amount a thing weighs. 2. Physics. the force which gravitation exerts upon a body, equal to the mass of the body times the local acceleration of gravity; commonly taken, in a region of constant gravitational acceleration, as a measure of mass. 3. a system of units for expressing heaviness or mass: avoirdupois weight. 4. a unit of heaviness or mass: The pound is a common weight in English-speaking countries. 5. a standard body of determinate mass, as of metal, for using on a balance or scale in weighing objects, substances, etc. 6. a specific quantity of a substance which is determined by weighing or which weighs a fixed amount: a half-ounce weight of gold dust. 7. any heavy load, mass, or object: Put down that weight and rest your arms. 8. an object useful because of its heaviness: a weight held the door open. 9. a mental or moral burden, as of care, sorrow, or responsibility: the weight of cares. 10. importance or influence: an opinion of great weight. 11. Statistics. a measure of the relative importance of an item in a statistical population. 12. [of clothng, textiles, etc.] relative heaviness or thickness as related to warmth, seasonal use, or purpose [often used in combination]: a winter-weight jacket. 13. Print. [of type] the degree of blackness or boldness. 14. [in boxing and the like] a division or class to which a contestant belongs according to how much he weighs. 15. the total amount the jockey, saddle, and leads must weigh on a racehorse during a race, according to the conditions of the race. 16. Gymnastics. a metal disc of standard determined mass for lifting in competition or for exercise. Cf. weight lifting. 17. the stress or accent value given a sound, syllable, or word. 18. carry weight, to have importance or influence: His opinion is certain to carry weight. 19. pull one's weight, to contribute one's rightful share of work to a project or job. Also, pull one's own weight. 20. throw one's weight around or about, to use one's power and influence, esp. unduly. -v.t. 21. to add weight to; load with additional weight. 22. to burden with or as with weight: to be weighted with years. 23. Statistics. to give a statistical weight to. 24. to bias or slant toward a particular goal or direction, as in order to favor someone or something. [ME; OE wiht [c. D wicht, G. (Ge)wicht) = wih [see WEIGH] + -t -TH1]
-Syn. 10. effect, power, significance.
Weightless adj. being without apparent weight, as a freely falling body or a body acted upon by a force that neutralizes gravitation.
[Urdang, Laurence, ed. Random House Dictionary of The English Language. New York: Random House, 1968.]
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