pond-, -pond

A reference to that which is thought about carefully and seriously: Sylvia has ponderably realized that she must take into account not only the legal considerations, but she should also think about the moral issues related to getting a divorce.

Characteristic of something that is estimated or ascertained by weight: The growing ponderal problems of obesity have been presenting some significant health issues.

Weight; gravity; serious consideration: The ponderance of suggestions made by Edward's financial advisor had to be considered seriously.

Relating to weight: The clerk used a ponderary system to determine how much the vegetables and fruits weighed.

To deliberate or rationalize about matters and to consider the reasons for or against doing something: Crystal and Harry are ponderating whether they should delay their marriage until at least one of them gets a job so they can move away from their parents.

Something that is thought about carefully; especially, before making a decision or reaching a conclusion: There were several ponderations before Tina could finally decide what she should pack for her trip to France.

A person who reflects upon carefully before making or reaching a conclusion: As a ponderer, Irene was taking time to consider what it would cost her to go to college and whether she could get enough money to start such an undertaking.

Related to thinking carefully about something: The pondering students had to make some serious decisions regarding their educational and vocational futures.

A weightiness or a large size: Wayne showed his ponderosity when he got on the scales and it showed his 250 pounds of weight.

1. Pertaining to difficult and laborious movements: Lloyd was making ponderous, or slow moving steps, because he was carrying a very heavy box of books into another section of his apartment.

The tourists saw the groups of elephants making their ponderous ways across the plain in Kenya.

2. Referring to something that is very thick and heavy: Kim tried to carry the ponderous bookcase down the stairs by herself and she slipped and broke her arm and badly bruised her leg.
3. Relating to something that is slow and difficult to accomplish: Victoria spent many ponderous hours cleaning the mud and debris from the flood waters that got into her basement. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. Related to that which is heavy, weighty, or burdensome: Floyd struggled with the ponderously enormous box of can goods that he just purchased from the grocery store.
2. Heavy or awkward: The more ponderously corpulent, or overweight, man needed help to get up from the chair.

1. The measure of weight: The merchant bought a pound of carrots from the farmer.
2. A unit of currency or money: The British child received a pound as a birthday gift which she planned to spend on lots of chocolates.
3. Etymology: developed from Old English (before 810) pund. The West Germanic stem punda- represents an early borrowing from Latin pondo, "a pound" or "pounds", originally in libra pondo, "a pound by weight" from pondo, "by weight".

The pound as a unit of money is recorded in Old English and was so called because originally it was a weight of silver, which was 12 ounces troy weight.

Several measures of pound for various commodities existed in Medieval Europe, and in England some of these were given specific names; such as, "Tower pound" and "merchant's pound".

The pound of 16 ounces (avoirdupois, weight or heaviness or commodities sold by weight), originally was used for weighing bulky material in the 1200s and 1300s, then it was established as a fixed weight for trade before 1377.

1. To hit with force again and again: Rosetta pounded the nails into the wooden fence in order to make it more secure.

Karl's little girl was in her bedroom and couldn't get it open, so she was pounding on the door hoping someone would come and help her get out.

2. To break or to crush something into very small pieces by hitting it repeatedly: The grains of wheat were pounded into flour.
3. To work hard at something for a long time: Hank was pounding away at his computer like he usually did until late at night as he was striving to complete more of his website project.
4. To beat quickly and loudly: Jillian woke up from the dream that she was having with her heart pounding in her ears.

1. The act of hitting something or a person with force again and again: Corinne and Fred could hear the pounding of the waves against the shore.

The boxer took quite a pounding in the ring; however, he was still able to win the match because he was able to return his own poundings on his opponent.

The company's stocks took a pounding in the stock market.

2. That which is beating loudly and fast: Lorna could feel the poundings of her heart in her chest when she heard someone trying to break into her apartment at night while she was calling the police on the phone.

1. Beyond the usual limits in weight, force, importance, or influence: The preponderance of factory buildings has made the city less healthy than it once was because of the pollutions in the air.
2. Excess numbers or being greater in amounts: The preponderance of poor people is increasing more and more on a global scale.

Estimates indicate that there is a preponderance of women among the older populations.

There is a preponderance of lawyers in the U.S. Congress compared to other professions.

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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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