heft

The feel of the weight of something; heaviness.

A high quality hammer should have good balance and heft.

But Durindan at laſt fell vvith ſuch heft, / Full on the circle of Rogeros ſhield, / That halfe vvay through the Argent byrd it cleft, / And pierſt the core of male [i.e., mail] that vvas vvithin, / And found a paſſage to the verie skin.

The force exerted by an object due to gravitation; weight.

The man had been carried out of the yard while the fire was still burning; […] Public opinion was much divided, some holding that it would go hard with a man of his age and heft; but the common belief seemed to be that he was of that sort "as'd take a deal o'killin'," and that he would be none the worse for such a fall as that.

"Look at the heft of 'n [a baby]," said the proud father, "entirely drags ye down, Miss Sybil, 'e do."

Graveness, seriousness; gravity.

He's got a good voice, and reads well; but come to a sermon—wal, ain't no gret heft in't.

Importance, influence; weight.

Put more baldly, the reason why Republicans and British Conservatives started giving each other copies of Atlas Shrugged in the 80s was that [Ayn] Rand seemed to grant intellectual heft to the prevailing ethos of the time.

The greater part of something; the bulk, the mass.

The turkey's nest was islanded with a fragrant swath,—the "heft" of the crop noted and rejoiced over,—[…]

He run to South America or somewheres, taking the heft of the firm's money with him.

To lift or lift up (something, especially a heavy object).

He hefted the sack of concrete into the truck.

[…] Bevis was to "heft" his gun to the shoulder, and only to press it there sufficiently to feel that the butt touched him.

To test the weight of (something) by lifting.

[H]e took up a root or two [potatoes] here and there, and "hefted it," (that is to say, poised it carefully to judge the weight, as one does a letter for the post) and then stroked the sleek skin lovingly, and put it down gingerly for fear of any bruise.

To test the weight of (something) by lifting.

Sim's ben to college, and he's putty smart and chipper. Come to heft him, tho', he don't weigh much 'longside o' Parson Cushing.

To have (substantial) weight; to weigh.

"[I]t's yellow! is it gold?" / "My!" exclaimed his mother, weighing it in her hand, "I do believe it is. Brass never would heft so much, and would be green. Bless me, Wat, this is a find! Where ever did you come by it? In the gutters, do you say?"

A piece of pastureland which farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) have become accustomed to.

[S]he came to fetch her [bairn] out of ill haft and waur guiding.

A flock or group of farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) which have become accustomed to a particular piece of pastureland.