weather-headed

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

So written by Sir Walter Scott in his Peveril of the Peak, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a "sheepish" look.

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “weather-headed” mean?

So written by Sir Walter Scott in his Peveril of the Peak, but it is more probably WETHER-HEADED, as applied to a person having a "sheepish" look.

Is “weather-headed” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.