Definition: Weather
Etymology
From Middle English weder, wedir, from Old English weder, from Proto-West Germanic *wedr, from Proto-Germanic *wedrÄ…, from Proto-Indo-European *wedÊ°rom, *we-dÊ°rom, from *hâ‚‚wehâ‚- (to blow). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Weeder, West Frisian waar, Dutch weer, Low German Weder, German Wetter, Danish vejr, Swedish väder, Norwegian BokmÃ¥l vær, Norwegian Nynorsk vêr, Icelandic veður; also more distantly related to Russian вёдро or vjódro (fair weather) and perhaps Albanian vrëndë (light rain). Other cognates include Sanskrit निरà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤£ or nirvÄṇa (blown or put out, extinguished).
Noun
weather (countable and uncountable, plural weathers)
- The short term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including the temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, precipitation, wind, etc.
- What's the weather like today?
- We'll go for a walk when the weather is better.
- The garden party was called off due to bad weather.
- Unpleasant or destructive atmospheric conditions, and their effects.
- Wooden garden furniture must be well oiled as it is continuously exposed to weather.
- Looks like there's going to be some weather today! We better stay inside!
- (nautical) The direction from which the wind is blowing; used attributively to indicate the windward side.
- (figuratively) A situation.
Derived terms
- all-weather
- all-weather tire
- bad weather
- fair-weather
- good weather
- under the weather
- weather anchor
- weather balloon
- weather-beaten
- weather forecast
- weather front
- weather gauge
- weatherize
- weatherly
- weather map
- weather radar
- weather report
- weather satellite
- weather ship
- weather vane
- weathery
Adjective
weather (not comparable)
- (sailing, geology) Facing towards the flow of a fluid, usually air.
- He was at the weather helm.
Verb
weather (third-person singular simple present weathers, present participle weathering, simple past and past participle weathered)
- To expose to the weather, or show the effects of such exposure, or to withstand such effects.
- To sustain the trying effect of; to bear up against and overcome; to endure; to resist.
- To break down, of rocks and other materials, under the effects of exposure to rain, sunlight, temperature, and air.
- To cause (rocks) to break down by crushing, grinding, and/or dissolving with acids.
- (nautical) To pass to windward in a vessel, especially to beat 'round.
- We need to weather the ship.
- (nautical) To endure or survive an event or action without undue damage.
- Joshua weathered a collision with a freighter near South Africa.
- (falconry) To place (a hawk) unhooded in the open air.
Derived terms
- overweather
- unweather
- weather the storm
Credits
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