Weighings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of determining the mass of an object by using a scale or balance
2. a measurement taken to compare the mass of different items
3. instances in which specific weights are assessed for various purposes

Etymology: "Weighings" is the plural of "weighing," which is itself the gerund or verbal noun formed from the verb "weigh." The plural form is used when the act of weighing is counted as separate occasions or instances, so a set of weighings is a series of measurements taken at different times or on different objects. The verb "weigh" comes from Old English "wegan," meaning to carry or to bear a load, a sense that survives in phrases like "weigh anchor" and in the older idea of something being a burden. Weighing as a way of judging quantity grew out of that physical sense of lifting and balancing a load, so the modern meaning of measuring heaviness is the same action seen as a measurement.

Synonyms: measurements, assessments, evaluations, calculations, scales