wey

[ wey ]

/ weɪ /

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noun, plural weys.

an old British unit of weight of various values, especially 16 stones of 16 pounds each, or 256 pounds.

an old Scotch-Irish unit of capacity equal to 40 U.S. bushels.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

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Origin of wey

before 900; Middle English; Old English wǣge weight. See weigh¹

Words nearby wey

wet wash, WEU, we've, we wuz robbed, Wexford, wey, Weyden, Weygand, Weyl, Weymouth, Weyse

How to use wey in a sentence

Directly the river Wey is crossed, either in leaving or entering Guildford, the road begins to rise steeply.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
When within sight of Godalming, the road descends suddenly and proceeds along level lands through which runs the winding Wey.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
A mile-way is twenty minutes; a furlong-wey is two minutes and a half; and the double of it is five minutes.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
A furlong-wey meant the time during which one can walk a furlong, at three miles an hour.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

"It is an out-of-the-Wey one, at any rate," was the instantaneous reply.
Quips and Quiddities|William Davenport Adams