welterweight English · revision 1564

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=compound|attested=1831}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[m|en|welter|t=heavyweight horseman]] (1804) and [[weight]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The word ''welter'' in this sense is of uncertain origin,^(Etymonline) possibly formed from the colloquial verb [[welt]] “to beat severely” with the agent suffix [[-er]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ An unusually heavy weight carried by certain horses in steeplechases and hurdle races (by 1831 in Etymonline; 1832 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster Unabridged), and a heavyweight horseman.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word began in horse racing, where a ''welter'' was a heavy rider and ''welter-stakes'' (1820) a race for heavyweight riders.^(Etymonline) A welterweight came to be a fixed handicap of 28 pounds imposed on a horse in addition to its weight for age.^(Klein 1966)^(RHWU)^(MWU 2024) From 1896 the word was applied to a boxer or wrestler of a certain weight,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) the class lying between [[lightweight]] and [[middleweight]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) By 1865 ''welter'' was also used colloquially of anything big or heavy of its kind.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1804 – ''welter'', a heavyweight horseman.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1820 – ''welter-stakes'', a race for heavy riders.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1831 – ''welter weight'', the weight carried by a horse.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1832 – first known use in Merriam-Webster Unabridged and Barnhart.^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * c. 1892 – a boxer of the weight class (Merriam-Webster); 1896 in Barnhart and Etymonline.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[boxer]] in the weight division between [[lightweight]] and [[middleweight]], in professional boxing up to 147 pounds (about 66.5 kilograms).^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A contestant in a similar weight class in other sports, such as [[wrestling]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(horse racing)'' A weight of 28 pounds imposed on a horse in a [[steeplechase]] or hurdle race in addition to its weight for age.^(RHWU)^(MWU 2024)

+ # ''(horse racing)'' A heavyweight rider.^(MWU 2024)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[welt]]

+ * [[lightweight]]

+ * [[middleweight]]

+ * [[heavyweight]]

+ * [[featherweight]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}