weir

name

1. A surname.
2. A placename.
3. A placename.
4. A placename.
5. A placename.
6. A placename.
7. A placename.
8. A placename.
9. A placename.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English were, from Old English wer, from werian (“to dam up”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjan, from Proto-Germanic *warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”); Cognate with Old Norse ver (“station for fishing”), Sanskrit वृणोति (vṛṇóti). Related to warranty.

1. An adjustable dam placed across a river to regulate the flow of water downstream.

   “Though Hambleden's parish register records the death, in 1753, of a bargeman 'Kill'd by accident, shooting ye lock', the turbulent waters of Mill End weir on the River Thames, about a mile from the village, still attract canoeists.”

   “The weir must not represent a physical barrier to fish migration, both locally and throughout the whole river system. If necessary, a fishway is included in the weir.”

2. A fence placed across a river to catch fish.

   “The Taff is naturally a good salmon river, the Ely a sea trout river, but what with weirs and pollusions the fish have been pretty well exterminated.”

   “The weir catch of mackerel at Monomoy and along Cape Cod has been a failure.”

3. Seaweed.