featherweight

[ feth-er-weyt ]

noun

1. a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a bantamweight and a lightweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 126 pounds (57 kilograms).
2. an insignificant person or thing:

   He thinks he's a major composer, but he's just a featherweight.

adjective

1. belonging to the class of featherweights, especially in boxing.
2. extremely light in weight:

   a featherweight quilt.

3. unimportant; trifling; slight.

featherweight

/ ˈfɛðəˌweɪt /

noun

1. 1. something very light or of little importance
   2. ( as modifier )

      featherweight considerations

2. 1. a professional boxer weighing 118–126 pounds (53.5–57 kg)
   2. an amateur boxer weighing 54–57 kg (119–126 pounds)
   3. ( as modifier )

      the featherweight challenger

3. a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 126–139 pounds (57–63 kg))

Word History and Origins

Origin of featherweight¹

First recorded in 1805–15; feather + weight

Example Sentences

Following this, he turned professional and rose to fame in the 1980s after winning the British and European featherweight titles in 1983 and becoming the WBA World Featherweight Champion in 1985.

From BBC

A bloodied Nick Ball defended his WBA featherweight world title in his home city with a punishing 10th round stoppage win over Ronny Rios at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena.

From BBC

Hardy, 42, has never been a quitter and is not going to change the habit of a lifetime in the final minutes of her bout against undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.

From BBC

His appreciation for legendary Mexican featherweight boxing champion Salvador Sanchez, whose fights he used to regularly stream on YouTube.

From Los Angeles Times

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting became the second boxer at the centre of a gender eligibility row to secure a medal at the Paris Olympics as she reached the semi-finals of the women's featherweight division.

From BBC

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