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weathering

[weth -er-ing]
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noun
  1. Architecture. wash(def 44).
  2. material used as a weather strip.
  3. Geology. the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose.Compare chemical weathering, mechanical weathering.
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Origin of weathering

First recorded in 1655–65; weather + -ing1

weather

[weth -er]
noun
  1. the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
  2. a strong wind or storm or strong winds and storms collectively: We've had some real weather this spring.
  3. a weathercast: The radio announcer will read the weather right after the commercial.
  4. Usually weathers. changes or vicissitudes in one's lot or fortunes: She remained a good friend in all weathers.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to expose to the weather; dry, season, or otherwise affect by exposure to the air or atmosphere: to weather lumber before marketing it.
  2. to discolor, disintegrate, or affect injuriously, as by the effects of weather: These crumbling stones have been weathered by the centuries.
  3. to bear up against and come safely through (a storm, danger, trouble, etc.): to weather a severe illness.
  4. Nautical. (of a ship, mariner, etc.) to pass or sail to the windward of: to weather a cape.
  5. Architecture. to cause to slope, so as to shed water.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to undergo change, especially discoloration or disintegration, as the result of exposure to atmospheric conditions.
  2. to endure or resist exposure to the weather: a coat that weathers well.
  3. to go or come safely through a storm, danger, trouble, etc. (usually followed by through): It was a difficult time for her, but she weathered through beautifully.
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Idioms
  1. under the weather, Informal.
    1. somewhat indisposed; ailing; ill.
    2. suffering from a hangover.
    3. more or less drunk: Many fatal accidents are caused by drivers who are under the weather.
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Origin of weather

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English weder; cognate with Dutch weder, German Wetter, Old Norse vethr
Related formsweath·er·er, noun
Can be confusedweather whether whither wither (see synonym study at wither)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for weathering

weathering

noun
  1. the mechanical and chemical breakdown of rocks by the action of rain, snow, cold, etc
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weather

noun
    1. the day-to-day meteorological conditions, esp temperature, cloudiness, and rainfall, affecting a specific placeCompare climate (def. 1)
    2. (modifier)relating to the forecasting of weathera weather ship
  2. a prevailing state or condition
  3. make heavy weather
    1. (of a vessel) to roll and pitch in heavy seas
    2. (foll by of)to carry out with great difficulty or unnecessarily great effort
  4. under the weather informal
    1. not in good health
    2. intoxicated
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adjective
  1. (prenominal) on or at the side or part towards the wind; windwardthe weather anchor Compare lee (def. 4)
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verb
  1. to expose or be exposed to the action of the weather
  2. to undergo or cause to undergo changes, such as discoloration, due to the action of the weather
  3. (intr) to withstand the action of the weather
  4. (when intr, foll by through) to endure (a crisis, danger, etc)
  5. (tr) to slope (a surface, such as a roof, sill, etc) so as to throw rainwater clear
  6. (tr) to sail to the windward ofto weather a point
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Derived Formsweatherability, nounweatherer, noun

Word Origin

Old English weder; related to Old Saxon wedar, Old High German wetar, Old Norse vethr
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for weathering

weather

v.

"come through safely," 1650s, from weather (n.). Sense of "wear away by exposure" is from 1757. Related: Weathered; weathering.

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weather

n.

Old English weder, from Proto-Germanic *wedran (cf. Old Saxon wedar, Old Norse veðr, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch weder, Old High German wetar, German Wetter "storm, wind, weather"), from PIE *we-dhro-, "weather," from root *we- "to blow" (see wind (n.)). Spelling with -th- first appeared 15c., though pronunciation may be much older.

Weather-beaten is from 1520s. Under the weather "indisposed" is from 1827. Greek had words for "good weather" (aithria, eudia) and words for "storm" and "winter," but no generic word for "weather" until kairos (literally "time") began to be used as such in Byzantine times. Latin tempestas "weather" (see tempest) also originally meant "time;" and words for "time" also came to mean weather in Irish (aimsir), Serbo-Croatian (vrijeme), Polish (czas), etc.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
weathering in Science

weathering

[wĕð′ər-ĭng]
  1. Any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to the weather undergo chemical decomposition and physical disintegration. Although weathering usually occurs at the Earth's surface, it can also occur at significant depths, for example through the percolation of groundwater through fractures in bedrock. It usually results in changes in the color, texture, composition, or hardness of the affected rocks.
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weather

[wĕð′ər]
  1. The state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place. Weather is described in terms of variable conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind velocity, precipitation, and barometric pressure. Weather on Earth occurs primarily in the troposphere, or lower atmosphere, and is driven by energy from the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. The average weather conditions of a region over time are used to define a region's climate.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
weathering in Culture

weathering

The process by which rocks are broken down into small grains and soil. Weathering can happen through rainfall, ice formation, or the action of living things, such as algae and plant roots. It is part of the geological cycle.

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weather

The daily conditions of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, and moisture.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with weathering

weather

In addition to the idiom beginning with weather

  • weather the storm

also see:

  • fair-weather friend
  • heavy going (weather)
  • keep a weather eye out
  • under the weather
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.