heavy English · revision 3167

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725|origins=gem-pro *habigaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈhev.i/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|hevy]],^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|hefiġ|t=heavy, weighty; important, grave; oppressive; slow, dull]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*habigaz]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the source also of Old Saxon hebig, Old High German hebīg, Old Norse hǫfugr and Dutch hevig “violent, heavy”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) It is formed from the Germanic word for weight, Old English hefe,^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) and is related to the verb [[heave]], Old English hebban;^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline takes it to [[ine-pro|*kap-|t=to grasp]].^(Etymonline) Most other Germanic languages use for “heavy” their cognate of Old English swǣr, now obsolete.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English hefig is recorded about 725;^(Barnhart 1988) Middle English hevi, “weighty, grave”, is from 1124.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The figurative senses, important, grave, oppressive, dull, are as old as the physical one in Old English.^(Etymonline) The noun, “something heavy, heaviness”, is from the mid-13th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Bread that has not risen properly is heavy from 1828.^(OED 1989) In the theatre a ''heavy'' is a villain from 1880, short for phrases like ''heavy villain'' (1843) and ''heavy leading man'' (1849);^(Etymonline) a weighty or influential person is a later American sense.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD) In physics ''heavy hydrogen'' is from 1933.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) ''Heavy metal'' is attested by 1839 in chemistry, and in nautical jargon from at least 1744 for large-caliber guns on a ship;^(Etymonline) as a kind of rock music it is from 1972.^(Etymonline) The jazz slang sense “profound, serious” is from 1937.^(Etymonline) ''Heavy industry'' is recorded from 1932.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – Old English hefig.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1124 – Middle English hevi.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * mid-13th century – noun, something heavy.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1744 – ''heavy metal'', large ship's guns.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1828 – of bread, not risen.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1880 – noun, a stage villain.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1933 – ''heavy hydrogen''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1937 – jazz slang, profound.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1972 – ''heavy metal'', rock music.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Having great [[weight]]; hard to lift or carry.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Having high [[density]] or specific gravity.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Large in amount, force or intensity: ''heavy traffic'', ''heavy rain''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Hard to bear or deal with; oppressive or sad: ''a heavy heart''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Serious and difficult to understand; [[profound]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Thick and solid in build or appearance; dense or rich, as food.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # ''(physics)'' Of an [[isotope]]: having more mass than normal for the element.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Heavily: ''time hung heavy''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A villain in a story or play; a serious or tragic role.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # ''(informal)'' A person of great importance or influence.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # ''(informal)'' A large, strong man employed to threaten or protect.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[heaviness]]

+ * [[heavy-laden]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[heave]]

+ * [[heft]]

+ * [[hefty]]

+ * [[heavily]]

+ * [[heavyweight]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In dialect, ''heavy'' had several phrases of its own: in Yorkshire ''heavy of one's head'' meant dizzy or muddled.^(Wright 1898) A separate adjective ''heavy'', of a horse, “suffering from the heaves”, is from 1864.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}