weir

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a low dam built across a stream or river to raise the water level, regulate it, or divert its flow

   Water spilled over the weir and into the old millrace.

2. 2
   noun

   a fence or enclosure set in a waterway to catch or retain fish

   The community built a wooden weir to trap fish moving with the tide.

From Middle English were and Old English wer, 'dam or fish trap,' related to Old English werian, 'to hinder or ward off,' and a Germanic family of words for barriers and fishing places. A mill weir is compositionally a weir that raises or diverts water for a mill; the core word already carries that engineering sense.

Topics