People or things of great importance, influence, or physical weight; the category of boxers weighing over 175 pounds.
From 'heavy' (Old English 'hefig') + 'weight' (Old English 'gewiht'). Originally referred to actual physical mass, but extended to mean influential people by the 1800s.
The term shows how language borrows from sports—boxing's weight classes became so iconic that 'heavyweight' entered everyday speech to mean any powerful or important person, from CEOs to historical figures.
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