Lightweight

Lightweight

Noun / Adjective · /ˈlaɪt.weɪt/

Definition

(Noun) a person or thing that is light in weight; a boxing weight class for contestants up to 61.2 kg (135 lb); (Adjective) of less than average weight; not heavy; not serious or intellectually demanding; lacking in substance or authority.

Origin

From light (Old English lēoht — not heavy) + weight (Old English wiht, gewiht — heaviness, measure of mass). The boxing weight class sense developed in the 19th century as formal weight divisions were established. The figurative sense of lacking substance or seriousness developed from the boxing context in the late 19th and 20th centuries.