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Chambers (1908)

Heavy

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[A.S. hefig—hebban, to heave; Old High Ger. hebîg.]

Original source wording, not an independently verified *SET-U conclusion.

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Heavy, hev′i, adj. weighty: not easy to bear: oppressive: afflicted: inactive: dull, lacking brightness and interest: inclined to slumber: violent: loud: not easily digested, as food: miry, as soil: having strength, as liquor: dark with clouds: gloomy: expensive: (B.) sad: (theat.) pertaining to the representation of grave or serious parts.—adv. Heav′ily.—n. Heav′iness.—adjs. Heav′y-armed, bearing heavy armour or arms; Heav′y-hand′ed, clumsy, awkward: oppressive; Heav′y-head′ed, having a heavy or large head: dull, stupid, drowsy; Heav′y-heart′ed, weighed down with grief; Heav′y-lād′en, laden with a heavy burden.—n. Heav′y-spar, native sulphate of barium, barytes.—Heavy marching order, the condition of troops fully equipped for field service; Heavy metal, guns or shot of large size: great influence or power; Heavy-weight, one beyond the average weight, esp. in sporting phrase, one placed highest in the ascending scale, feather-weight, light-weight, middle-weight, heavy-weight; Heavy wet, a drink of strong ale or ale and porter mixed.—The heavies (mil.), the heavy cavalry: those who play heavy parts. [A.S. hefig—hebban, to heave; Old High Ger. hebîg.]

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  • Historical scholarship from 1908; not current consensus or editorial verification.
  • Historical text may contain offensive, obsolete or inaccurate language and classifications.
  • Public-domain determination applies to the United States; other jurisdictions require separate confirmation.
  • Chambers consulted earlier dictionaries including Skeat and the New English Dictionary; overlapping claims are not independent scholarly votes.

An old root, gloss or concordance number does not determine the meaning of every later use. A word’s origin and its modern meaning are different questions.

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Edition, rights and traceability

Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language
Thomas Davidson (editor)
1908

Public-domain-US ↗ · United States

Publisher marks these historical texts public domain in the USA. Transformed book text excludes Gutenberg branding; source attribution is a bibliographic acknowledgment. No non-US public-domain determination is made.

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