weather

WEATHER, noun Wether. [G., The primary sense of this word is air, wind or atmosphere; probably the Gr., whence ether.] Properly, the air; hence, 1. The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness, and the like; as warm weather; cold weather; wet weather; dry weather; calm weather; tempestuous weather; fair weather; cloudy weather; hazy weather and the like. 2. Change of the state of the air. 3. Storm; tempest. [These last significations are not now in use, unless by a poetic license.] Stress of weather violent winds; force of tempests. WEATHER, verb transitive wether. 1. To air; to expose to the air. [Rarely used.] 2. In seamens language, to sail to the windward of something else; as, to weather a cape; to weather another ship. As this is often difficult, hence, 3. To pass with difficulty. To weather a point, to gain or accomplish it against opposition. To weather out, to endure; to hold out to the end; as, to weather out a storm. WEATHER is used with several words, either as an adjective, or as forming part of a compound word.