{ } n. [ OE. wer, AS. wer; akin to G. wehr, AS. werian to defend, protect, hinder, G. wehren, Goth. warjan; and perhaps to E. wary; or cf. Skr. v&rsdot_; to check, hinder. √142. Cf. Garret. ] 1. A dam in a river to stop and raise the water, for the purpose of conducting it to a mill, forming a fish pond, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A fence of stakes, brushwood, or the like, set in a stream, tideway, or inlet of the sea, for taking fish. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A long notch with a horizontal edge, as in the top of a vertical plate or plank, through which water flows, -- used in measuring the quantity of flowing water. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. wirde, werde, AS. wyrd fate, fortune, one of the Fates, fr. weorðan to be, to become; akin to OS. wurd fate, OHG. wurt, Icel. urðr. √143. See Worth to become. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Fate; destiny; one of the Fates, or Norns; also, a prediction. [ Obs. or Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A spell or charm. [ Obs. or Scot. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Of or pertaining to fate; concerned with destiny. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to witchcraft; caused by, or suggesting, magical influence; supernatural; unearthly; wild; as, a weird appearance, look, sound, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Myself too had weird seizures. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those sweet, low tones, that seemed like a weird incantation. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Weird sisters, the Fates. [ Scot. ] G. Douglas. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Shakespeare uses the term for the three witches in Macbeth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To foretell the fate of; to predict; to destine to. [ Scot. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being weird. [ 1913 Webster ]