heft /hɛft/noun 11verb 10forms 3 noun11 •The feel of the weight of something; heaviness.A high quality hammer should have good balance and heft. •The force exerted by an object due to gravitation; weight."Look at the heft of 'n [a baby]," said the proud father, "entirely drags ye down, Miss Sybil, 'e do." — 1888 •(figurative) 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. — 1878 •(figurative) Importance, influence; weight. •A number of sheets of paper fastened together, as to form a book or a notebook. •A part of a serial publication; a fascicle, an issue, a number. •(informal, old-fashioned) 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,—[…] — 1865 •(UK, Scotland) 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. — 1818 •(UK, Scotland) A flock or group of farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) which have become accustomed to a particular piece of pastureland. •An act of heaving (lifting with difficulty); an instance of violent exertion or straining.The socket of the rim lock tore off to one good heft of the shoulder, and we were in. — 1951 •(dialect, UK) An act of lifting; a lift.It was a tremendous heft to raise the boat on to the wall and push it over, but somehow she managed it; […] — 1888 verb10 •To lift or lift up (something, especially a heavy object).He hefted the sack of concrete into the truck. •To test the weight of (something) by lifting. •(informal, figurative) To evaluate or test (someone or something).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. — 1878 •(dialect, informal) To have (substantial) weight; to weigh. •(UK, Scotland) To accustom (a flock or group of farm animals, chiefly cattle or sheep) to a piece of pastureland. •[with oneself] (UK, Scotland) Of a thing: to establish or settle itself in a place. •(UK, figurative) To establish or settle (someone) in an occupation or place of residence.[I]t may be as well that Alan and you do not meet till he is hefted as it were to his new calling. — 1824 •(UK, figurative) To establish or plant (something) firmly in a place; to fix, to root, to settle.[…] I hae heard him say, that the root of the matter was mair deeply hafted in that wild muirland parish than in the Canogate of Edinburgh. — 1818 •(Scotland) To cause (milk) to be held in a cow's udder until the latter becomes hard and swollen, either by not milking the cow or by stopping up the teats, to make the cow look healthy; also, to cause (a cow) to have an udder in this condition.The heavy udders of hefted cows trailed on the ground, dripping milk on the greensward. Stray cattle ate the rich grass. — 1922 •(Scotland) To cause (urine) to be held in a person's bladder. formshefted · hefting · hefts
