Kevin
February 13, 2020
Abbreviations For

In this guide, we’ll be looking at how to abbreviate the word weight. In addition, we’ll discuss the synonyms, history, and definition of the word. Finally, we’ll present examples of the word and abbreviations in context.

First, let’s look at some abbreviations for weight.

There are two common abbreviations for this unit of measurement:

Wt.
Wgt.

For example:

The wt. of the parcel exceeds a British pound.

What is the wgt. of the parcel?

The plural abbreviations are wts. and wgts.

What Does Weight Mean?

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of weight is as follows:

Weight [weyt ]

noun

the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.

Physics. the force that 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.

a system of units for expressing heaviness or mass:

avoirdupois weight.

a unit of heaviness or mass:

The pound is a common weight in English-speaking countries.

a body of determinate mass, as of metal, for using on a balance or scale in weighing objects, substances, etc.

a specific quantity of a substance that is determined by weighing or that weighs a fixed amount:

a half-ounce weight of gold dust.

any heavy load, mass, or object:

Put down that weight and rest your arms.

an object used or useful solely because of its heaviness:

the weights of a clock.

a mental or moral burden, as of care, sorrow, or responsibility:

Knowing you are safe takes a weight off my mind.

importance, moment, consequence, or effective influence:

an opinion of great weight.

Statistics. a measure of the relative importance of an item in a statistical population.

(of clothing, textiles, etc.)

relative heaviness or thickness as related to warmth or to seasonal use (often used in combination):
a winter-weight jacket.
relative heaviness or thickness as related to use:
a bolt of coat-weight woolen cloth.

Printing. (of type) the degree of blackness or boldness.

(especially in boxing) a division or class to which a contestant belongs according to how much he weighs:

two brothers who fight professionally in the same weight.

the total amount the jockey, saddle, and leads must weigh on a racehorse during a race, according to the conditions of the race:

Jacinto has a weight of 122 pounds in the seventh race.

the stress or accent value is given a sound, syllable, or word.

verb (used with object)

to add weight to; load with additional weight:

to weight sacks before dumping them overboard.

to load (fabrics, threads, etc.) with mineral or other matter to increase the weight or bulk.

to burden with or as if with weight (often followed by down):

Financial worries have weighted that family down for years.

Statistics. to give a statistical weight to.

to bias or slant toward a particular goal or direction; manipulate:

The teacher weighted the test so students who had read both books would make the highest marks.

to assign (a racehorse) a specific weight to carry in a race:

The handicapper weighted Dapper Dan with 128 pounds.

Synonyms for Weight

The History of the Word

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the English word weight dates back to Old English and beyond. It came to English by way of the Proto-Germanic words wihti “heaviness” and weg “to weigh.” These words also provided a source for similar words in German, Old Norse, Danish, Old Frisian, and Middle Dutch. The figurative use of the noun as a burden dates from the 14th century, with the figurative use of the verb (“loading down one’s mind with a burden”) dating from the 1640’s.

When to Use the Abbreviation

The most common place to find the abbreviation is on packaging and shipping labels. Packages shipped by the United States Postal Service (USPS) are more likely to be marked with the acronym GCW (Gross Combined Weight) or PDWA (Postage Due Weight Average) than wgt. or wt., though. In addition, many industry-specific publications or reports include abbreviations for weight. Abbreviations for weight are used around the world to depict units of measurement, both in metric units and imperial or US units.

Since the use of these abbreviations is highly specific, you’ll rarely find them used for general prose.

Examples of the Word and Abbreviation in Context

“In addition, the team found coins with the likeness of the Roman emperor Vespasian (who reigned from A.D. 69 to 79), carved bone that once was likely part of a knife handle and an unusual lead weight that was probably part of a survey tool called a groma, which is similar to a sextant.”
—Live Science

“If you’re too young to know this, Ford in 1975 signed the Metric Conversion Act that declared the metric system ‘the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce’ but permitted the use of United States customary units in all activities.”
—Mail Tribune

“‘So all the data that we’re presenting have the same units of micrograms per gram, and they’re all based on dry weight,’ Partridge said.”
—Montana Standard

“All prices per hundredweight unless otherwise stated. Tri-State Livestock Video Sale for Fri Aug 11, 2017. . .

Head 124

Wt Range 700-800

Avg Wt 790

Price Range 130.25-131.00

Avg Price 130.62”
—The Rogersville Review

“Jan. 26 Aqueduct Racetrack results | 1st-$68,000, Maiden Special Weight, 4-Year-Olds & Up , Seven Furlongs, Dirt, Clear . . .

Horse Letmetakethiscall

Wgt 123

PP 5

Strt 1

1/4 1-3

1/2 1-3

Strch 1-4

Fin 1-2¼

Jockey J. Lezcano

Odds 3.40”
—Times Herald Record

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

The Abbreviation for Weight: What Is It and How Is It Used?

Your writing, at its best

What Does Weight Mean?

Synonyms for Weight

The History of the Word

When to Use the Abbreviation

Examples of the Word and Abbreviation in Context

Sources:

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