unweigh

English

Etymology

un- +‎ weigh

Verb

unweigh (third-person singular simple present unweighs, present participle unweighing, simple past and past participle unweighed)

1. To shift weight off of or to have the weight shifted off of.
   • 1996, Karin Künzle-Watson, ‎Stephen J. DeArmond, Ice Skating: Steps to Success, page 56:

     Unweigh your stopping foot and turn it to an angle on the ice to produce a skid, and thus a stop.

   • 2008, Nicholas Romanov, ‎John Robson, The Pose Method of Triathlon Techniques:

     Each hip unweighs as a result of the arm finishing its work and briefly acts as floating support until the next moving support is established .

   • 2023, Meena Gupta, ‎Dinesh Bhatia, ‎Prakash Kumar, Modern Intervention Tools for Rehabilitation, page 76:

     Weight-supported treadmill training unweighs the patient and licenses the utilization of a mechanized treadmill for walking.

2. To lift (an anchor) so that it no longer holds something in place.
   • 2018, Richard H. Stephens, Soul Forge, page 255:

     He gave the order to unweigh the anchor.

3. To relieve from a burden.
   • 1979, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade, Extension and Revision of the Export Administration Act of 1969, page 93:

     Alaska would get more money and the oil companies would get more money, but I am quite sure the Japanese are not going to unweigh the system.

   • 1980, Gaston Roberge, Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible: An Analysis, page 98:

     However, he cannot bear the burden on his own deeds and seeks to unweigh his conscience onto other's shoulders .

   • 2022, Diana Radovan, Our Voices, page 100:

     I learn to unweigh myself of other people's problems.

4. To discount from serious consideration.
   • 1869, Victoria. Parliament, Parliamentary Debates - Volume 9, page 1922:

     I arrived at that conclusion because I considered that this thing was inaugurated by men like the honorable member for South Bourke (Mr. Crews), who had not properly weighed their own convictions, or who, having weighed them, were willing to unweigh them on certain considerations.

   • 1977, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment, Marine Mammals, page 72:

     I don't believe any problem is so complex that it requires a great amount of time contemplating, weighing and unweighing all of these problems.