weir
[ weer ]
/ wɪər /
noun
a small dam in a river or stream.
a fence, as of brush or narrow boards, or a net set in a stream, channel, etc., for catching fish.
Nearby words
Origin of weir
before 900; Middle English were, Old English wer, derivative of root of werian to defend, dam up
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for weir
British Dictionary definitions for weir (1 of 2)
weir
/ (wɪə) /
noun
a low dam that is built across a river to raise the water level, divert the water, or control its flow
a series of traps or enclosures placed in a stream to catch fish
Word Origin for weir
Old English wer; related to Old Norse ver, Old Frisian were, German Wehr
British Dictionary definitions for weir (2 of 2)
Weir
/ (wɪə) /
noun
Judith. born 1954, Scottish composer: her operas include A Night at the Chinese Opera (1987), and Armida (2005)
Peter. born 1944, Australian film director; his films include Dead Poets Society (1989), The Truman Show (1998), and Master and Commander (2003)
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 weir
weir
Old English wer "dam, fence, enclosure," especially one for catching fish (related to werian "dam up"), from Proto-Germanic *warjanan (cf. Old Norse ver, Old Frisian and Middle Dutch were, Dutch weer, Old High German wari, German Wehr "defense, protection," Gothic warjan "to defend, protect"), from PIE *wer- "to cover, shut" (cf. Sanskrit vatah "enclosure," vrnoti "covers, wraps, shuts;" Lithuanian uzveriu "to shut, to close;" Old Persian *pari-varaka "protective;" Latin (op)erire "to cover;" Old Church Slavonic vora "sealed, closed," vreti "shut;" Old Irish feronn "field," properly "enclosed land").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper