Noah Webster
Heft
HEFT, noun
1. Heaving; effort.
He cracks his gorge, his sides.
With violent hefts. [Not used.]
2. Weight; ponderousness. [This use is common in popular language in America. And we sometimes hear it used as a verb, as, to heft to lift for the purpose of feeling or judging of the weight.]
3. A handle; a haft. [Not used.]