heft

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
heft/hɛft/

▶verb

• 1 lift or carry (something heavy).

• 2 lift or hold (something) to test its weight.

▶noun N. Amer.

• 1 weight.

• 2 ability or influence.

– origin ME: prob. from heave, on the pattern of words such as cleft and weft.