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welterweight

[wel-ter-weyt]
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noun
  1. a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a lightweight and a middleweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 147 pounds (67 kg).
  2. (in a steeplechase or hurdle race) a weight of 28 pounds (13 kg) that is assigned to a horse in addition to the poundage assigned based on the age of the horse.
  3. a rider of steeplechase or hurdle-race horses who, though acting as a jockey, is of comparatively average weight and not small or lightweight as a professional jockey; heavyweight rider.
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Origin of welterweight

First recorded in 1815–25; welter2 + weight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for welterweight

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • As a Welterweight, Milt had learned to depend on speed and quick hands.

    Vital Ingredient

    Gerald Vance

  • My brother said the welterweight got what was coming to him because he hadn't intelligence enough to stay where he belonged.

British Dictionary definitions for welterweight

welterweight

noun
    1. a professional boxer weighing 140–147 pounds (63.5–66.5 kg)
    2. an amateur boxer weighing 63.5–67 kg (140–148 pounds)
    3. (as modifier)a great welterweight era
  2. a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 154–172 pounds (70–78 kg))
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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 welterweight

n.

1832, "heavyweight horseman," later "boxer or wrestler of a certain weight" (1896), from earlier welter "heavyweight horseman or boxer" (1804), possibly from welt (v.) "beat severely" (c.1400).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper