heaviness

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
heavy/ˈhevi/

▶adjective (heavier, heaviest)

• 1 of great weight; difficult to lift or move.

• 2 of great density; thick or substantial.

  ■ (of food) hard to digest; too filling.

  ■ (of ground) muddy or full of clay.

• 3 of more than the usual size, amount, or force: a heavy cold.

  ■ (of a smell) overpowering.

  ■ (heavy on) using a lot of.

  ■ doing something to excess: a heavy smoker.

• 4 striking or falling with force.

• 5 not delicate or graceful; coarse or slow-moving.

• 6 needing much physical effort.

• 7 very important or serious.

  ■ mentally oppressive; hard to endure.

  ■ informal strict, harsh, or difficult to deal with.

• 8 (of music, especially rock) having a strong bass component and a forceful rhythm.

• 9 Physics containing atoms of an isotope of greater than the usual mass: heavy water.

▶noun (pl. heavies)

• 1 informal a large, strong man, especially one hired for protection.

  ■ an important person.

• 2 chiefly Scottish strong beer, especially bitter.

– phrases
heavy going a person or situation that is difficult or boring to deal with.

– derivatives
heavily adverb,
heaviness noun,
heavyish adjective.

– origin OE hefig, of Gmc origin; rel. to heave.