balance
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæləns/
rhymes: -æləns
Forms: form: balances
form: balancing
form: balanced
form: balanced
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: balance
form: balance
form: balanced
form: balance
form: balancest
form: balanced
form: balancedst
form: balances
form: balanceth
form: balanced
form: balance
form: balanced
form: balance
form: balanced
form: balance
form: -
form: balancing
form: balanced
form: balaunce
Etymology: From Middle English balaunce, from Old French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia, from (accusative form of) Latin bilanx (“two-scaled”), from bi- + lanx (“plate, scale”).
Displaced the word — Old English wǣġ akin to Modern English: wey from Proto-West Germanic *wāgu (“scales; weight”).
Senses: glosses: To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights.
examples: text: the Proteus Principle helps to qualify and balance the concepts of narrators and of narrative situations as previously developed in classical studies by G erard Genette and Franz Stanzel.
ref: 2014, Peter Melville Logan, Olakunle George, Susan Hegeman, The Encyclopedia of the Novel:
glosses: To make (concepts) agree.
examples: text: I balanced my mug of coffee on my knee.
text: The circus performer balances a plate on the end of a baton.
glosses: To hold (an object or objects) precariously; to support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling.
examples: text: Ballance the Good and Evil of Things.
ref: 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
text: Mr. Morrison's ruling to reopen the station as a shelter was given after he had balanced the relative dangers of flooding and bombing.
ref: 1941 September, Charles E. Lee, “Sheltering in London Tube Stations”, in Railway Magazine, page 389:
glosses: To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
examples: text: to balance partners
topics: dance
dancing
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally.
examples: text: to balance the boom mainsail
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass.
examples: text: to balance a set of books
text: This final payment, or credit, balances the account.
text: I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker.
ref: 1712 December 10 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, November 29, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 549; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
glosses: To make the credits and debits of (an account) correspond.
glosses: To be in equilibrium.
glosses: To have matching credits and debits.
glosses: To weigh in a balance.
glosses: To hesitate or fluctuate.
Synonyms: word: balance
word: counterbalance
word: equilibrate
word: equilibrize
word: equipoise
word: poise
Hyponyms: word: equiponderate
Derived terms: balanceable
balanced → unb—d
imb—d
balancement
balance out
balancer
balance the books
balance the sheets
balance the ticket
balancing act
check and balance
counterbalance
disbalance
misbalance
outbalance
overbalance
rebalance
unbalance
unbalanceable