Weight and Wait Sound Alike and Are Unrelated
Weight is how heavy something is. It has nothing to do with waiting, and in physics it is not the same as mass.
Weight is how heavy something is. Physics draws a line most people ignore: mass is how much matter an object contains, weight is the force gravity exerts on that mass. Your mass is the same on the Moon; your weight is about a sixth. The homophone *wait* is unrelated, from a Germanic word meaning to watch.
- Heaviness. *The weight of the parcel.*
- A heavy object. *Lifting weights.*
- Importance. *His opinion carries weight.*
- Verb, to add weight. *Weight the results.*
- Weighty — serious. *A weighty argument.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | weight | Body weight. |
| Verb | weigh | Weigh the flour. |
| Adjective | weighty | A weighty tome. |
| Adjective | weighted | A weighted average. |
| Homophone | wait | Wait a moment. |
- The bridge has a weight limit.Engineering.
- Her testimony carried weight.Importance.
- A weighted average gives some values more influence.Statistics.
Mass or weight?
- Mass — the amount of matter, measured in kilograms
- Weight — the force of gravity on it, properly measured in newtons
- On the Moon — same mass, about one sixth the weight
- Bathroom scales measure weight and report mass, assuming Earth gravity
- In everyday speech the two are used interchangeably, and that is fine
Old English *gewiht*, from the verb *wegan*, to carry or weigh. The homophone *wait* comes from a different Germanic root meaning to watch.
What is the difference between mass and weight?
Mass is how much matter something contains. Weight is the force gravity applies to that mass, so it changes with location.
Are weight and wait related?
No. They sound the same but come from different roots. Wait originally meant to watch.