heavy (the literal sense of ‘weighty’, and the fig. senses of ‘oppressive, grievous, sore’, ‘sad, sorrowful’, ‘distressing, saddening’, and ‘sleepy, drowsy’ are freq.)
1.
weighty, important, serious
All'sW. II. v. 50
“matter of
consequence,”
1H4 II. iii. 68
“ business,”
H5 II. ii. 53,
Lr. V. i. 27
“Most just and
causes.”
2.
dull, stupid
Oth. II. i. 143
“O heavy ignorance! thou
praisest the worst best.”
3.
slow, sluggish
MND. V. i. 377
“The gait of
night,”
John III. iii. 43
“[thy blood] thick
(heavy-thick†),”
IV. i. 47
“ time,”
Ant. III. vii. 38; cf.
heavygaited
R2 III. ii. 15.
4.
(of a deed or its
agent) grievous, heinous, wicked Meas. II. iii. 28, Wint. III. ii. 209,
John IV. iii. 58,
Ham. IV. i. 12
“O heavy deed!.”
