balancen.1
/ˈbaləns/, /ˈbaln̩s/, U.S. /ˈbæləns/ I. Literal senses.† 2. singular. One scale of a balance; plural ‘scales’.† b. The plural was sometimes balance. (Partly due to final -s, -ce, partly to confusion of sense.) Obsolete.† 3. A flat dish resembling a scale; Latin lanx. Obsolete.
1. An apparatus for weighing, consisting of a beam poised so as to move freely on a central pivot, with a scale pan at each end.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus > a balance
weigha1050
weightsa1300
balancea1375
weigh-shale1465
scales1480
weigh-beam1492
launce1590
scale instrumenta1691
scale balance1809
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > criticism > [noun] > involving comparison > balance so used
balancea1375
c1275 in Liber Albus I. 226 Deit estre peise par balaunce le Roy.
1297 Lib. Custum. 107 (Probatio Tronæ.) Silvester de Farnham custos balanciæ Domini Regis.]
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 948 Wel y vnderstande whider þe balaunce bremliest bouwes.
c1386 G. Chaucer Monk's Tale 508 And in a balaunce weyen eche mountaine.
c1450 in Wright Voc. 227 Bilanx, belans.
1494 Act 11 Hen. VII iv In every City..should be a common Balance, with common Weights.
1573 Bible (Bishops') Prov. xvi. ii A true weight and ballaunce are the Lordes iudgement.
1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated i. ii. 31 The Bilanx or Ballance.
1771 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. lii. 203 We incline the balance..by lessening the weight in one scale.
1881 Bible (R.V.) Rev. vi. 5 He had a balance in his hand [1611 a pair of balances].
a. with plural balances. Obsolete or dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus > a balance > scales
weighc825
weightsa1300
balance1388
weigh-scalea1400
weighing-scalesc1450
scales1480
weigh-balk1824
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus > a balance > scale of a balance
balance1388
weigh-scalea1400
basin1413
scalec1440
shell15..
scale-pan1830
1388 J. Wyclif Psalms lxii. 9 The sones of men ben liers in balauncis.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 65 Alle her good dedes in the same balaunce..and alle her evelle dedes in that other balaunce.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. ii. sig. N7v Weighed out in ballaunces . View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Rev. vi. 5 A paire of balances in his hand. View more context for this quotation
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. iii. 16 Take a pinte of ayre; and weigh it against a pinte of water, and you will see the ballance of the last goe downe amaine.
ΚΠ
c1460 (a1449) J. Lydgate Legend St. Austin (Harl. 2255) l. 166 in Minor Poems (1911) i. 198 Weyed in ballaunce.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 252 Are there ballance here to weigh the flesh? View more context for this quotation
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 55 In one Hand..a Red Rose, in the other a pair of Ballance.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > [noun] > shallow vessel or dish > specific types
balancea1522
cuvette1706
necromancer1747
holm-dish1771
patina1814
pan1843
coolamon1846
lanx1857
pitchi1896
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xii. iv. 142 Syne furth of platys or ballancis belyve With pasyt flesch plenyst the altaris.
4. (a) One of the zodiacal constellations (more commonly called Libra). (b) The seventh sign of the Zodiac ♎, into which the sun enters at the autumnal equinox.In the time of Hipparchus, b.c. 130, the sign corresponded with the constellation, whence the name; but owing to the precession of the equinoxes, its first point is now far in the west of the constellation Virgo.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > constellation > zodiacal constellation > [noun] > Libra
weighc1400
balance1493
libra1493
the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > particular signs > [noun] > Libra
libra1398
balance1493
scale1631
1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) vii. sig. Bii/1 A planete that men call libra, that is asmoche to say as a balaunce.
c1500 Almanak anno 1386 2 Saturn es exalted in þe 20 gre of þe Balaunce.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 50 And seated near the Ballance, poise the Days. View more context for this quotation
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. i. 29/2 The celestial Balance.
5. In extended use: Any apparatus used in weighing, whether acting by leverage, or by the resistance of a spring.
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the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus
tron1477
tron1825
balance1829
Danish balance1837
weigher1905
1829 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) I. Mechanics ii. v. §45 The Danish balance is a steel-yard.
1832 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. Electricity iv. §74 The most perfect electrometer for measuring very small quantities of electricity, is..the torsion balance.
6. Watchmaking.† b. A pendulum. Obsolete. rare.
a. A mechanical contrivance which regulates the speed of a clock or watch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of
nut1428
peise1428
plumbc1450
Jack1498
clockwork1516
larum1542
Jack of the clockhouse1563
watch-wheel1568
work1570
plummeta1578
Jack of the clock1581
snail-cam1591
snail-work1591
pointer1596
quarter jack1604
mainspring1605
winder1606
notch-wheel1611
fusee1622
count-wheel1647
jack-wheel1647
frame1658
arbor1659
balance1660
fuse1674
hour-figure1675
stop1675
pallet1676
regulator1676
cock1678
movement1678
detent1688
savage1690
clock1696
pinwheel1696
starred wheel1696
swing-wheel1696
warning-wheel1696
watch1696
watch-part1696
hoop-wheel1704
hour-wheel1704
snail1714
step-wheel1714
tide-work1739
train1751
crutch1753
cannon pinion1764
rising board1769
remontoire1774
escapement1779
clock jack1784
locking plate1786
scapement1789
motion work1795
anchor escapement1798
scape1798
star-wheel1798
recoil escapement1800
recoiling pallet1801
recoiling scapement1801
cannon1802
hammer-tail1805
recoiling escapement1805
bottle jack1810
renovating spring1812
quarter-boy1815
pin tooth1817
solar wheel1819
impulse-teeth1825
pendulum wheel1825
pallet arbor1826
rewinder1826
rack hook1829
snail-wheel1831
quarter bell1832
tow1834
star pulley1836
watch train1838
clock train1843
raising-piece1843
wheelwork1843
gravity escapement1850
jumper1850
vertical escapement1850
time train1853
pin pallet1860
spade1862
dead well1867
stop-work1869
ringer1873
strike-or-silent1875
warning-piece1875
guard-pin1879
pendulum cock1881
warning-lever1881
beat-pin1883
fusee-piece1884
fusee-snail1884
shutter1884
tourbillion1884
tumbler1884
virgule1884
foliot1899
grasshopper1899
grasshopper escapement1899
trunk1899
pin lever1908
clock spring1933
1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxvii. 206 The noise made by the ballance.
1727 A. Pope et al. Περι Βαθους: Art of Sinking 72 in J. Swift et al. Misc.: Last Vol. In Clock-making, one Artist makes the Balance, another the Spring.
1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 15 Gold balances are preferable to steel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > hanging or suspension > [noun] > that which hangs or is suspended > a pendulum
pendant1644
balance1647
pendulum1660
swag1686
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > [noun] > swinging or oscillation of suspended body > that which > pendulum
pendant1644
balance1647
pendulum1660
swag1686
1647 H. More Philos. Poems Notes 152/2 The nearer you place the lead to the centre, the swifter the balance moves.
7.
a. Nautical. The operation or result of reefing with a balance-reef n. at Compounds 2.
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society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > [noun] > reducing extent of sail > mode of > specific
balance1769
1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 69 The head, with doubling canvas fenc'd around, In balance, near the lofty peke, they bound.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. E2v The balance of the mizen, fanon, is thus performed.
b. Confused with ballast n. Cf. also ballace at ballast n. β. forms.
ΚΠ
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John 5 No otherwyse than the balans dothe staye the shippes in tyme of tempest.
1651 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 79. 1198 Shee was leake and onely in her Ballance.
II. Figurative senses.† 10. Hence:† b. Objective uncertainty or suspense; risk, hazard.
8. † b. One scale of the balance. Obsolete.
a. The metaphorical balance of justice, reason, opinion, by which actions and principles are weighed or estimated.
ΚΠ
c1410 T. Hoccleve Mother of God 20 The fende..wil pluk at the balance To wey vs doun.
1573 in J. G. Dalyell Scotish Poems 16th Cent. (1801) II. 297 Beir equal ballanis baith to riche and puir.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream v. i. 313 A moth will turne the ballance; which Pyramus, which Thisby is the better.
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 125 Snatch from his hand the Balance and the Rod, Re-judge his Justice, Be the God of God!
1852 M. F. Tupper Proverb. Philos. 288 Who..poised in the balances of order the power to attract and to repel?
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > criticism > [noun] > involving comparison > balance so used > scale of
balance1597
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iv. 88 But in the ballance of great Bullingbrooke, Besides himselfe are all the English peeres. View more context for this quotation
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes i. iv. 17 Put in the Triple Crowne, Thy Balance will not draw; thy Balance will not down.
9. The wavering balance of Fortune or chance, in which issues hang in suspense.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun] > balance or variations of fortune
balancec1320
c1320 Syr Bevis 1559 Almest is lif was in balaunse.
a1420 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 60 Best is I strive nat Ageyn the peys of fortunes balaunce.
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 49/1 in Chron. I The victory depended long in doubtfull ballance.
1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 37 Mens liues hangs in the ballance.
1720 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad VI. xxii. 271 Jove lifts the golden Balances, that show The Fates of mortal Men.
1881 B. Jowett tr. Thucydides Hist. Peloponnesian War I. 65 A battle was fought which hung equally in the balance.
a. Subjective uncertainty; hesitation, wavering, doubt. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > [noun]
studyinglOE
orrathnessc1175
doubta1225
balance1297
were1303
doubtancec1325
unsickernessc1340
wilsomenessa1400
wonda1400
scriple?a1425
ambiguityc1425
diswerec1440
dubitationc1450
variation?1473
incertainty1483
doubting1486
doubtfulness1526
scrupulousness1526
scruple1548
uncertainty1548
disputation1549
irresolution1592
swithering1597
hesitance1601
incertitude1601
unpersuadedness1612
inassurance1614
hesitancy1617
unsettledness1619
hesitation1622
unsatisfaction1643
unsatisfiedness1646
dubitancy1649
insecurity1649
dispersuasion1653
unassuredness1660
scrupling1665
unconfidencea1670
swither1719
dubietyc1750
mank1808
suspense1816
dubitating1837
doubtingness1840
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. 200 Hii were syker al, wyþoute balance.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 30 Hy byeth ine greate balance of hyre helþe of zaule.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxxxv. 116 As they Were in suche balaunces theyr child deyde.
1683 W. Temple Mem. in Wks. (1731) I. 439 Our Counsels at Court were so in ballance, between the Desires of living at least fair with France, and the Fears of too much displeasing the Parliaments.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [noun] > risk
adventurec1300
balance1330
jeopardyc1374
hazard1527
venture1549
risgoe1638
to run a risco1657
risk1661
fire hazard1846
health hazard1893
1330 R. Mannyng Chron. 156 Ten þousand mark & mo, þat now er in balance.
1386 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. & Tale 58 I dar lay in balaunce Al that I have in my possessioun.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 56 A woman puttithe her worshipe in balance to ansuere and speke to moche.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cccxiii. 478 For the loue of me ye haue put in balance your landes.
1751 Bp. G. Burnet & T. Williamson tr. T. More Utopia 129 On whom..they cast the chief Balance of the War.
11. Power to decide or determine; authoritative control.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > decisive authority
balance1393
resort1414
arbitramenta1533
voice1835
say1838
say-so1865
1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 381 There is a state..Above all other on erthe here, Which hath the londe in his balaunce.
1579 G. Fenton in tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin Ep. Ded. God hath..put into your hands the ballance of power.
1760 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. (1831) i. 75 Henry viii. of England held the balance with less delicacy, but with a stronger hand.
III. That which balances, or produces equilibrium.
12. A weight put into one scale to equal the preponderating weight in the other, and produce equilibrium; a counterpoise. Hence figurative a thing of equal influence, importance, or value; a counter-consideration, set-off, match.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equal, counterpart, or equivalent
ylikeeOE
likea1200
make?c1225
fellow?a1425
proportion?a1425
countervailc1430
matcha1450
meetc1450
pareil?c1450
resemblant1484
equivalent1502
countermatch1587
second1599
parallel1600
equipollent1611
balancea1616
tantamount1637
analogy1646
analogate1652
form-fellow1659
equivalency1698
par1711
homologizer1716
peel1722
analogon1797
quits1806
correlate1821
analogue1837
representant1847
homologue1848
countertype1855
homologon1871
correlative1875
vis-à-vis1900
counterpart1903
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. iii. 177 To whom I promise A counterpoize: If not to thy estate, A ballance more repleat. View more context for this quotation
1659 H. Neville in T. Burton Diary (1828) IV. 25 You give them salaries to be your balance.
1723 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 75 A sweet balance, yea, an overbalance, in sweet communion with God.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §6. 404 If France..had ceased to be a balance to Spain, she found a new balance in Flanders.
IV. A balanced condition.
13. A condition in which two (or more) opposing forces balance each other; equilibrium:
a. of things ponderable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > statics > [noun] > equal balance of opposing forces
equilibrium1660
balance1713
1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. i. ii. 14 Such Alterations in the æquipoise or ballance of the Atmosphere.
1878 ‘G. Eliot’ College Breakfast Party in Macmillan's Mag. July 167 The balance of the planets and the sun.
b. Of things imponderable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equilibrium
evennessa1398
peisea1400
equal (also even) poise1555
counterpoise1594
libration1603
equal, even scale1604
equilibre1621
poise1621
poisurea1625
balance1642
equilibrity1644
equilibrium1660
equipoise1661
equipoisure1683
equiponderancy1710
equiponderance1775
repose1805
equibalance1841
stasis1920
1642 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici ii. §1. 136 Where I find their actions in ballance with my Country-men's, I honour..them.
a1718 W. Penn Tracts in Wks. (1726) I. 693 Two Degrees of Cold, to two of Heat, make a Poyze in Elements, and a Ballance in Nature.
1869 J. Martineau Ess. Philos. & Theol. 2nd Ser. 110 The perfect balance of the two elements of consciousness.
c. A situation in which geopolitical stability is maintained through the opposition of two or more states, or blocs of states, of roughly equal power, with no state or bloc able to predominate. Usually more fully balance of power. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > international politics or relations > [noun] > international equilibrium
balance1655
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 60 If the ballance of power be not equilibrated, very evenly poysed, that Prince who hath the oddes of inclination..will soon finde..matter of pretext..to temerate the Laws of Alliance.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. To Rdr. Great danger might ensue in breaking the Ballance of Europe.
1688 P. Pett Happy Future State of Eng. 195 We shall be forced still to look out sharp to keep the ballance of Power exact in the whole World abroad.
1701 in London Gaz. No. 3758/7 Your Glorious Design of Re-establishing a just Ballance of Power in Europe.
1761 C. Churchill Night 12 Europe's balance hangs upon his tongue.
1804 King George III in G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 177 He..considered the Barrier Treaty as..a very effectual one..for preserving the balance of power in Europe.
1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. xi. 238 The battle of Lutzen which determined the balance of power between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism in Germany.
1915 Times 18 Aug. 7/3 The policy of the balance of power has been the dominating factor in the relationship between the nations of Europe during the last decade.
1938 Manch. Guardian 20 June 6/1 This [sc. an Eastern Block] would unite against all aggressors and attempt to maintain a balance in favour of peace in Eastern and Central Europe.
2007 Atlantic Apr. 58/1 A new global balance of power may emerge in which Russia and America are once again the world's paired superpowers.
d. balance of nature n. a state of equilibrium in nature produced by the interaction of living organisms; ecological balance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > [noun]
natural order1531
balance of nature1909
ecosystem1935
biosystem1942
1909 G. Abbey (title) The balance of nature and modern conditions of cultivation.
1923 H. G. Wells Men like Gods i. vi. 84 But presently he made it clear that there had been something very ancient and beautiful called the ‘Balance of Nature’ which the scientific methods of Utopia had destroyed.
1933 Discovery July 224/2 The interference of man with the balance of nature had almost always brought evil in its train.
1962 H. Hanson Dict. Ecol. 41 Balance of nature, (Ecological Balance), the state in an Ecosystem when the interrelationships of organisms..are harmonious or integrated to a considerable degree, e.g., a climax forest.
e. balance of terror, balance of power based on the possession of weapons of ‘terror’, esp. nuclear weapons.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > war > militarism > [noun] > nuclearism > balance of terror
balance of terror1960
1960 B. M. Goldwater Conscience of Conservative 91 If war is unthinkable to us but not to them, the famous ‘balance of terror’ is not a balance at all, but an instrument of blackmail.
1962 Listener 29 Mar. 548/1 There are other technical trends which seem to be contributing stability to the balance of terror between the Great Powers.
1962 Observer 13 May 15/4 The ‘balance of terror’ is always in danger of being upset by technical advance (e.g., in anti~missile missiles).
1965 H. Kahn On Escalation xiii. 246 A confusing thing about tactics..in a balance-of-terror situation is the great reliance on messages, symbols..and even ‘spectacles’.
14.
a. General harmony between the parts of anything, springing from the observance of just proportion and relation; esp. in the Arts of Design.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > symmetry or regularity > [noun]
proportiona1382
measurec1384
symmetry1601
symmetry1601
conformity1607
regularness1648
balance1733
regularity1758
symmetricalness1858
symmetricality1893
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man ii. 120 These mix'd with Art..Make, and maintain, the Balance of the Mind.
1848 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 2) II. i. viii. 68 In all perfectly beautiful objects, there is found the opposition of one part to another, and a reciprocal balance.
1883 J. Ruskin Art of Eng. i. ii Absolutely faithful balances of colour and shade.
1884 Sat. Rev. 14 June 778 1 She has in no way attempted to alter the balance of the characters [in a play].
b. spec. of the arrangement and adjustment of sources of sound; the sound thus produced.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > pleasantness of sound > [noun] > musical or harmonious quality
concorda1340
harmony1528
consonance1594
balance1929
1929 B.B.C. Year-bk. 1930 312 For balance and control..a volume control handle varies the input to the control amplifier, and consequently the strength passed to the transmitter.
1929 Melody Maker Jan. 61/2 Then again balance is bad all over the place; rhythm gets lost, saxophones are often overpowering.
1933 L. E. C. Hughes Elem. Engin. Acoustics vii. 141 As the sensitivities of the two ears are generally different, the balance is again taken with the receivers interchanged.
1941 B.B.C. Gloss. Broadcasting Terms 4 Balance, placing of artists, speakers, or other sources of sound in relation to a microphone or microphones, or vice versa.
1941 B.B.C. Gloss. Broadcasting Terms 4 Balance Test, test to establish the best balance for a particular broadcast.
1946 Penguin Music Mag. Dec. 48 In a tutti passage..I am bound to hear the brass to the almost total exclusion of the 'cellos... Therefore..we can seldom hear what you hear in the matter of the all-important balance.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio i. 13 The man responsible for balance, mixing, and control may be a ‘balance engineer’ or ‘programme engineer’.
15. Stability or steadiness due to the equilibrium prevailing between all the forces of any system.
a. Physical equipoise, perfectly balanced action.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > absence of support > [noun] > holding or being held up without support
suspension1646
balance1667
suspense1709
self-poisedness1848
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equilibrium > physical balance
balance1667
compensation1789
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 349 In even ballance down they light. View more context for this quotation
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xxiii. 217 Swayed himself to and fro to preserve his balance.
1859 A. Helps Friends in Council New Ser. II. viii. 167 But lost his own balance and fell out of the boat.
b. Equipoise of mind, character, or feelings; equanimity, mental composure, sanity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > [noun]
healthc1000
in witc1000
i-mindOE
mindc1380
reasonc1405
wit-state?c1450
common sense1536
sense1536
senses1540
soundness1548
sanitya1616
wisdoma1616
mental health?1650
saneness1727
mens sana1853
balance1856
lucidity1874
clear-headedness1882
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xvi. 198 If my mind had retained its balance.
1876 J. B. Mozley Serm. preached Univ. of Oxf. xvi. 266 A strong moral character..keeps its balance, and is not carried away by the love of human praise.
1899 Pall Mall Mag. Jan. 42 Affairs took a swing under me and took me off my balance.
c. off or out of balance.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > common sense > [adjective] > characterized by sense > not
unphilosophical1847
off or out of balance1881
the world > space > relative position > posture > [phrase] > off balance
off or out of balance1954
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > inequality > [phrase] > not balanced
off or out of balance1954
1881 G. W. Cable Mme. Delphine x. 52 As a banker, at least, he was certainly out of balance.
1954 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. 77 Off balance, with the weight not properly distributed over the legs, and thus in a dangerous position in regard to an opponent.
1960 E. P. C. Cotter Tackle Croquet this Way ix. 61 My opponent's tail was up so I decided to get him off balance if I could.
1962 Which? Car Suppl. Oct. 137/2 Two had wheels out of balance on delivery.
V. The turn of the balance.
16. The preponderating weight; the net result of estimating conflicting principles, forces, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a great part or proportion > the greater part, the majority
the more partOE
the best part ofOE
(the) more parta1350
(the) most parta1350
(the) most part alla1350
(the) most party1372
for (also be, in) the most part (also deal, party)a1387
the better part ofa1393
the mo?a1400
most forcea1400
substancea1413
corsec1420
generalty?c1430
the greater partc1430
three quartersc1470
generalityc1485
the most feck1488
corpse1533
most1553
nine-tenths?1556
better half1566
generality?1570
pluralityc1570
body1574
the great body (of)1588
flush1592
three fourths1600
best1601
heap1609
gross1625
lump1709
bulk1711
majority1714
nineteen in twenty1730
balance1747
sweighta1800
heft1816
chief1841
the force1842
thick end1847
1747 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 14 Apr. (1932) (modernized text) III. 906 This pleasure will increase..so that the balance will be greatly to your advantage.
1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. vi. 77 The balance of evidence appears in favour of the due execution.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iii. 267 In Germany..the balance of unjust interference lay on the imperial side.
VI. The adjustment of accounts.
17.
a. The process of finding the difference, if any, between the Dr. and Cr. sides of an account, or set of accounts; the exhibition of this process in a tabular form; the result so ascertained or exhibited.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [noun] > balancing of accounts
balance1588
rescounter1622
balancing1668
making-up1847
bank reconciliation1898
make-up1952
1588 H. Oldcastle & J. Mellis Briefe Instr. Accompts sig. Fviijv The ballance of your booke is to be vnderstoode, a leafe of paper disposed and made in length and crossed in the middes, etc... Yf the summes of money, of Debitor and Creditor bee like, than is your ballance well.
1662 S. Pepys Diary 30 Sept. (1970) III. 209 I have also made up..my monthly ballance; and find that..I am worth about 680l.
1727 J. Arbuthnot John Bull ii. xvi. in J. Swift et al. Misc. II. 171 John..brought in Frog Debtor to him upon the Ballance—3382—12—00.
1882 Daily Tel. 4 May £160,000 has been taken out on balance for export.
b. esp. to strike a balance: to determine the exact difference, if any, between the two sides of an account or set of accounts. literal and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (intransitive)] > balance
to strike a balance1638
cash1960
1638 Bp. J. Wilkins Discov. World in Moone 1 Those rewards and punishments by which..the balance of good and evil in this life is to be struck.
1874 J. S. Blackie On Self-culture 87 Not to run long accounts, but to strike clear balances at certain set seasons.
c. gen. A comparative reckoning. on balance (or upon the balance): taking everything into consideration.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun] > instance of > a comparative reckoning
with respect1597
balance1719
1719 W. Wood Surv. Trade (ed. 2) 67 This Nation gained upon a Balance of the Ships taken from us, and the Captures we made of the Enemy.
1843 Ainsworth's Mag. 4 308 Upon the ‘balance’, as the betting men say, women are quite as mercenary as men.
1861 J. Pycroft Agony Point xliii. 364 The blessings of the Langley Cottage, whether greater or less upon the balance, were of a kind not known at Langley Hall.
1928 Britain's Industr. Future (Liberal Industr. Inq.) ii. vii. 89 We believe that these provisions would be, on balance, overwhelmingly in the interest of the investor.
1966 Listener 6 Jan. 14/2 The impression in India that Britain has tended, on balance, to take the Pakistan side in the Kashmir dispute.
d. balance of trade n. the estimation of the difference of value between the commercial exports and imports of a country; the difference itself, as it is in favour of, or against, the country.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > importing and exporting > [noun] > balance of trade
balance of trade1690
trade balance1787
terms of trade1923
1690 J. Child Disc. Trade ix. 136 This Ballance is to be taken by a strict Scrutiny of what proportion the value of the Commodities exported out of this Kingdom bear, to those Imported.
1721 C. King Brit. Merchant II. 12 Portugal pays us a Million every Year upon the Ballance of Trade.
1812 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) IV. 370 The exploded doctrine of a balance of trade.
1879 H. Fawcett Free Trade & Protection 18 Granting bounties on exports..with a view of creating a favourable balance of trade.
e. balance of payments n. the estimation of the difference of value between payments into and out of a country. (Balance of trade ( 17d), i.e. of merchandise, covers the principal items on both sides, but balance of payments also includes the ‘invisible’ items, interest on loans, tourist expenditure, etc.) Also in attributive use.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > [noun] > public > in specific sphere
balance of payments1844
society > trade and finance > management of money > management of national resources > [noun] > political economy > balance of import and export values
balance of payments1844
1844 J. S. Mill Ess. Polit. Econ. i. 43 The tribute..restores the balance of payments between the two countries.
1863 New Englander Jan. 63 The natural effect of all this was to create for the moment a heavy balance of payments against the North.
1931 Economist 12 Dec. 1110/2 Study our national balance of payments, in order to see whether..restriction of imports..might..save the pound from..depreciation.
1955 Times 10 Sept. 6/6 Mr. Butler,..said that he thought the balance of payments problem was on the whole being kept in hand.
1958 Listener 31 July 151/1 So far, pressures on the balance of payments have been met successfully by foreign loans.
18. An equality between the total of the two sides of an account, when added up, after making all entries on both sides. Cf. 13.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [noun] > account book > equality between sides
balance1666
1666 S. Pepys Diary 30 Oct. (1972) VII. 348 I do bring my accounts to a very near balance.
1881 W. E. Gladstone in Times 8 Oct. 6/4 While we exported £8,860,000, we imported £8,509,000. That is very nearly a balance.
19.
a. The difference between the Dr. and Cr. sides of an account, or set of accounts.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [noun] > account book > difference between sides
balance1622
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 370 Take all the remainders of the Accounts by Debitor and Creditor, which is the ballance of the Booke.
1819 J. Greig Rep. Affairs Edinb. 7 The balance shews the increase of the City's debts.
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking iii. 76 Such arrangements may continue for years without the balance ever being a credit-balance.
b. balance (of indebtedness): the difference between the total amounts which two persons, societies, or nations mutually owe each other.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > [noun] > a debt > difference between debts owed to each other
balance (of indebtedness)1786
1786 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings xv. §1 The enormous balances and remissions on that settlement arose from a general collusion between the farmers and collectors.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I clxvii. 86 We..draw the accompts of evil, And find a deuced balance with the devil.
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking vii. 157 The fundamental principle, upon which the price of bills rests in the ‘balance of indebtedness.’
20.
a. balance (in hand) and variants: the sum of money remaining over after realizing all assets and discharging all liabilities. Also figurative, something to spare.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [noun] > account book > difference between sides > specific
foot1433
fault1665
rest1670
balance (in hand)1771
account balance1789
carryover1873
carryforward1894
overrun1899
carryback1941
the mind > possession > supply > storage > [noun] > that which is stored or a store > kept in reserve
arrearage1594
reserve1646
nest-egg1837
balance (in hand)1876
backlog1883
reservoir1941
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker III. 166 Thou hast indeed payed me Scot and lot; and even left a balance in my hands.
1847 in J. Thirsk & J. Imray Suffolk Farming 19th Cent. (1958) 163 I have written to Mr. Woodley to ask him what amount he will require in his hands to save us from the interest. We have generally had a balance in his hands of £400 or £500.]
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. i. 3 Fork out your balance in hand.
1876 Coursing Cal. 5 Wheatear..working with great smartness, won with a nice balance in hand.
1876 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life ii. i. 44 A delightful balance at his bankers.
1957 Hampshire Chron. 3 Aug. At the annual meeting of the Winchester and District Football League..a balance in hand of £1 17s. 9d. was reported.
b. balance (due): the sum still outstanding on an account.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > [noun] > a debt
yielding1340
debtc1380
due1439
debitc1450
devoirs1503
debitory1575
debenture1609
money-debt1627
balance (due)1720
outstandings1755
liability1842
engagement1849
live horse1859
payables1896
1720 London Gaz. No. 5842/4 A Bill for the Ballance of his Victualling Account.
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. I. viii. 175 He required him..to pay the balance due.
1828 P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) I. 221 The large balance of the ransom which still remained unpaid.
21. Commerce slang: The remainder, the rest. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > that which is left or remainder > [noun] > the rest
lave971
otherOE
remanantc1350
remnanta1375
surplusc1400
remanent1414
reversionc1450
rest?1473
remain1483
allowance1521
reliquation1658
rump1708
balance1788
1788 in Pennsylvania Mag. Hist. & Biogr. (1894) 18 62 Arose early and sent off the balance of our things.
1805 Deb. Congr. (1852) 1043 The balance of the year [i. e. from 15th Oct.] is appropriated to hunting.
1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 167 The inhabitants are more than half French; the balance consists of emigrants..from various parts of Europe and America.
1833 Sketches & Eccentricities D. Crockett (1834) 82 The balance of the dogs buckled in, and off they went right up a hollow.
1845 S. Judd Margaret i. xiii. 96 Deacon Hadlock himself, hearing Obed's entreaties, consented to remit the balance of the penalty.
1875 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 443 Balance, long familiar to American ears, is becoming so to ours. In an account of a ship on fire we read ‘Those saved remained the balance of the night watching the burning wreck.’
1882 P. Fitzgerald Recreat. Lit. Man II. xi. 4 Every one is away shooting or riding; a balance of ladies is left.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.
balance-holder n.
ΚΠ
1880 J. Muirhead tr. Gaius Institutes ii. 109 What has been said about witnesses applies equally to the balance-holder.
balance-maker n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > makers of other articles > [noun] > of weighing or measuring instruments
scaler1415
balance-maker1611
rule-maker1718
pedometrician1827
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Balancier, a ballance-maker.
b. Also many attributive combinations in Watchmaking (see 6).
Categories »
balance-arc n.
balance-cock n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of
barrel1591
motion1605
bezel1616
fusee1622
string1638
crown wheel1646
out-case1651
watch-box1656
nuck1664
watchwork1667
balance-wheel1669
box1675
dial wheel1675
counter-potence1678
pendulum-balance1680
watch-case1681
pillar1684
contrate teeth1696
pinion of report1696
watch-hook1698
bob-balance1701
half-cock1701
potence1704
verge1704
pad1705
movable1709
jewel1711
pendant1721
crystal1722
watch-key1723
pendulum spring1728
lock spring1741
watch-glass1742
watch-spring1761
all-or-nothing piece1764
watch hand1764
cylinder1765
cannon?1780
cannon1802
stackfreed1819
pillar plate1821
little hand1829
hair-spring1830
lunette1832
all-or-nothing1843
locking1851
slag1857
staff1860
case spring1866
stem1866
balance-cock1874
watch-dial1875
balance-spring1881
balance-staff1881
Breguet spring1881
overcoil1881
surprise-piece1881
brass edge1884
button turn1884
fourth wheel1884
fusee-sink1884
pair-case1884
silver bar1884
silver piece1884
slang1884
top plate1884
karrusel1893
watch-face1893
watch bracelet1896
bar-movement1903
jewel pivot1907
jewel bearing1954
1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 212/1 The balance-cock of a watch affords a bearing for the upper pivot of a watch-balance.
1962 E. Bruton Dict. Clocks & Watches 19 Balance cock, the cock that holds the bearing, normally a shock absorber, for one end of the balance.
balance-spring n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of
barrel1591
motion1605
bezel1616
fusee1622
string1638
crown wheel1646
out-case1651
watch-box1656
nuck1664
watchwork1667
balance-wheel1669
box1675
dial wheel1675
counter-potence1678
pendulum-balance1680
watch-case1681
pillar1684
contrate teeth1696
pinion of report1696
watch-hook1698
bob-balance1701
half-cock1701
potence1704
verge1704
pad1705
movable1709
jewel1711
pendant1721
crystal1722
watch-key1723
pendulum spring1728
lock spring1741
watch-glass1742
watch-spring1761
all-or-nothing piece1764
watch hand1764
cylinder1765
cannon?1780
cannon1802
stackfreed1819
pillar plate1821
little hand1829
hair-spring1830
lunette1832
all-or-nothing1843
locking1851
slag1857
staff1860
case spring1866
stem1866
balance-cock1874
watch-dial1875
balance-spring1881
balance-staff1881
Breguet spring1881
overcoil1881
surprise-piece1881
brass edge1884
button turn1884
fourth wheel1884
fusee-sink1884
pair-case1884
silver bar1884
silver piece1884
slang1884
top plate1884
karrusel1893
watch-face1893
watch bracelet1896
bar-movement1903
jewel pivot1907
jewel bearing1954
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 60 The balance spring of a watch should be half the diameter of the balance.
balance-staff n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of
barrel1591
motion1605
bezel1616
fusee1622
string1638
crown wheel1646
out-case1651
watch-box1656
nuck1664
watchwork1667
balance-wheel1669
box1675
dial wheel1675
counter-potence1678
pendulum-balance1680
watch-case1681
pillar1684
contrate teeth1696
pinion of report1696
watch-hook1698
bob-balance1701
half-cock1701
potence1704
verge1704
pad1705
movable1709
jewel1711
pendant1721
crystal1722
watch-key1723
pendulum spring1728
lock spring1741
watch-glass1742
watch-spring1761
all-or-nothing piece1764
watch hand1764
cylinder1765
cannon?1780
cannon1802
stackfreed1819
pillar plate1821
little hand1829
hair-spring1830
lunette1832
all-or-nothing1843
locking1851
slag1857
staff1860
case spring1866
stem1866
balance-cock1874
watch-dial1875
balance-spring1881
balance-staff1881
Breguet spring1881
overcoil1881
surprise-piece1881
brass edge1884
button turn1884
fourth wheel1884
fusee-sink1884
pair-case1884
silver bar1884
silver piece1884
slang1884
top plate1884
karrusel1893
watch-face1893
watch bracelet1896
bar-movement1903
jewel pivot1907
jewel bearing1954
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 56 The impulse finger, fixed to the balance staff, receives a blow.
balance-watch n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > particular types of watch
German watch1611
larum watch1619
clock-watch1625
minute watch1660
pendulum watch1664
watch1666
alarm watch1669
finger watch1679
string-watch1686
scout1688
balance-watch1690
hour-watch1697
warming-pan1699
minute pendulum watch1705
jewel watch1711
suit1718
repeater1725
Tompion1727
pendulum spring1728
second-watch1755
Geneva watch1756
cylinder-watch1765
watch-paper1777
ring watch1788
verge watch1792
watch lamp1823
hack1827
bull's-eye1833
vertical watch1838
quarter-repeater1840
turnip1840
hunting-watch1843
minute repeater1843
hunter1851
job watch1851
Geneva1852
watch-lining1856
touch watch1860
musical watch1864
lever1865
neep1866
verge1871
independent seconds watch1875
stem-winder1875
demi-hunter1884
fob-watch1884
three-quarter plate1884
wrist-watch1897
turnip-watch1898
sedan-chair watch1904
Rolex1922
Tank watch1923
strap watch1926
chatelaine watch1936
sedan clock1950
quartz watch1969
pulsar1970
1690 London Gaz. No. 2550/4 A Silver Ballance-Watch.
balance-wheel n. (also figurative); also, a similar device on a sewing machine.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of
barrel1591
motion1605
bezel1616
fusee1622
string1638
crown wheel1646
out-case1651
watch-box1656
nuck1664
watchwork1667
balance-wheel1669
box1675
dial wheel1675
counter-potence1678
pendulum-balance1680
watch-case1681
pillar1684
contrate teeth1696
pinion of report1696
watch-hook1698
bob-balance1701
half-cock1701
potence1704
verge1704
pad1705
movable1709
jewel1711
pendant1721
crystal1722
watch-key1723
pendulum spring1728
lock spring1741
watch-glass1742
watch-spring1761
all-or-nothing piece1764
watch hand1764
cylinder1765
cannon?1780
cannon1802
stackfreed1819
pillar plate1821
little hand1829
hair-spring1830
lunette1832
all-or-nothing1843
locking1851
slag1857
staff1860
case spring1866
stem1866
balance-cock1874
watch-dial1875
balance-spring1881
balance-staff1881
Breguet spring1881
overcoil1881
surprise-piece1881
brass edge1884
button turn1884
fourth wheel1884
fusee-sink1884
pair-case1884
silver bar1884
silver piece1884
slang1884
top plate1884
karrusel1893
watch-face1893
watch bracelet1896
bar-movement1903
jewel pivot1907
jewel bearing1954
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equilibrium > one who or that which balances
balance-man1828
balance-wheel1863
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > [noun] > sewing > equipment for > sewing-machine > parts of or attachments for
presser bar1813
flat bed1819
shuttle1847
foot1854
looper1857
take-up1859
work holder1859
feller1860
shuttle-carrier1860
binder1865
braider1866
ruffler1868
presser foot1875
shuttle-windera1877
tension-device1877
thread-cutter1877
thread-oiler1877
tuck-creaser1877
tucking-gauge1877
tuck-marker1877
thread-guide1924
zipper foot1938
free arm1948
balance-wheel1961
tuck-folder-
1669 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 4 937 Watches, which instead of a Ballance-wheele are regulated by a Pendulum.
1747 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 806/1 The balance-wheel obliges the balance to vibrate backwards and forwards like a pendulum.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters viii. 212 Fabian..is the balance-wheel between the other two, to keep them in check.
1958 M. E. Burton Lett. M. Wordsworth p. xxviii Mary often chooses to remain behind. She is the balance-wheel.
1961 Which? Nov. 277 (diagram) Balance wheel [of a sewing-machine].
C2.
balance-beam n. the beam of a balance, also the beam keeping a drawbridge balanced aloft.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > moat > [noun] > draw-bridge > beam of
balance-beam1813
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus > a balance > beam of a balance
balk1399
beam1420
weigh-balkc1485
scale-beam1723
balance-yard1810
balance-beam1813
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > bridge > lifting-bridge > draw-bridge > part of
balance-beam1813
1813 W. Scott Bridal of Triermain i. xv. 37 The balance beams obeyed the blast, And down the trembling draw-bridge cast.
c1865 J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 404/1 Excess of weight..may..damage the balance-beam.
balance-bob n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > other parts of pumps
pump box1422
pump-staff1422
pump-tree1617
branch1659
pump rod1731
pear-gauge1753
barometer-gauge1783
bucket-door1797
head1824
balance-bob1838
suction primer1875
cup-leather1889
airline1893
1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 409/1 The heavy pump rods, balance bobs &c., attached to a mining engine.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 104 Balance-bob, a heavy lever ballasted at one end, and attached at the other to the pump-rod, the weight of which it thus helps to carry.
balance-crane n. (see quot. 1904).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > crane > types of
quay crane1821
balance-crane1824
well crane1836
water crane1849
jenny1861
jib-crane1873
stacker1875
Titan1876
transfer-elevatora1884
whip-crane1883
Goliath1888
jigger1891
wharf crane1893
floating crane1903
tower crane1906
hammer-headed crane1908
portal crane1908
hammer-head crane1910
luffing crane1913
cherry-picker1945
stacker crane1959
monotower1963
Transtainer1964
portainer1966
1824 R. Stevenson Bell Rock Lighthouse 520 The Balance-Crane, constructed for building the upper part of the Bell Rock Light-house.
1904 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 136/2 Some heavy weight is fixed..opposite to the point at which the jib is fixed... These arrangements constitute what is called a balance crane.
balance-fish n. the hammer-headed shark ( Squalus zygæna).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > subclass Elasmobranchii > order Pleurotremata > [noun] > member of family Sphyrnidae (hammer-head)
balance-fish1717
zygaena1717
slipper1796
hammer-head1861
1717 T. Robinson in Philos. Trans. 1714–16 (Royal Soc.) 29 479 The Zygæna or Ballance Fish, as large as the Saw Fish.
1815 Encycl. Brit. XI. 107 Hammer-headed shark, or balance-fish.
balance-frame n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > frame
frame bend1711
after-frame1754
frame1754
balance-frame1850
web frame1864
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. Explan. Terms 94 Balance frames, those frames, or bends of timber, of the same capacity or area, which are equally distant from the centre of gravity.
balance-knife n. a table-knife of which the handle is made sufficiently heavy to keep the blade from touching the cloth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > cutlery > knife
fish-knife1403
board-knifec1440
table knifea1475
butter knife1729
dessert-knife1793
balance-knife1833
cuttoe1851
steak knife1895
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 14 The fabrication of what are called balance knives.
balance-man n. one who acts as an equipoise and preserves the balance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equilibrium > one who or that which balances
balance-man1828
balance-wheel1863
1828 H. Steuart Planter's Guide 251 Sending up a couple of Balancemen to the top; who..serve as movable makeweights.
balance-master n. a posture-maker, tumbler, ‘equilibrist’.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > acrobatic performance > [noun] > acrobat
tumblera1340
tumbesterc1386
tumblesterc1386
playera1425
speeler1496
balancer?1518
petaurist1656
tumbling lass1687
balance-master1753
balance-mistress1801
jerry-come-tumble1823
acrobat1827
evolutionist1833
jerry-go-nimble1874
1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xv. 210 The balance-master's attention to a single point, in order to preserve his balance.
balance-mistress n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > acrobatic performance > [noun] > acrobat
tumblera1340
tumbesterc1386
tumblesterc1386
playera1425
speeler1496
balancer?1518
petaurist1656
tumbling lass1687
balance-master1753
balance-mistress1801
jerry-come-tumble1823
acrobat1827
evolutionist1833
jerry-go-nimble1874
1801 J. Strutt Sports & Pastimes iii. v. 177 Tymbesteres, or balance-mistresses.
balance-reef n. the closest reef of a lower fore-and-aft sail, making it nearly triangular, used to steady the ship in stormy weather.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > portion which may be reefed
reef1336
balance-reef1782
bag-reef1867
1782 P. M. Freneau Misc. Wks. (1788) 387 What he calls single, double, and balance-reef eyelet holes.
1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 86 Balance-reef, a reef-band that crosses a sail diagonally, and is used to contract it in a storm.
1840 J. F. Cooper Pathfinder II. v. 184 By half-past two he had put a balance-reef in the sail.
balance-reefed adj. see balance-reef n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [adjective] > reefed
reefed1726
balanced1750
balance-reefed1840
single-reefed1860
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast v. 10 Under close-reefed topsails, balance-reefed trysail.
balance-seat n. a mode of riding in which the body is balanced in the saddle without support from the stirrups.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [noun] > manner of sitting on horse > specific
low ridingc1598
side seat1742
balance-seat1873
1873 Daily News 21 May 5/6 That patent hernia-producing institution, the balance-seat.
balance sheet n. a tabular statement of assets and liabilities, showing the character and amount of the balance.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [noun]
accountc1300
counta1350
scorea1400
audit?1550
tally1580
state1582
memorandum1583
ticket1632
tick1681
a/c1736
financial statement1789
balance sheet1838
tab1889
1838 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. 1 42 He becomes familiar..with trial balances, balance sheets, [etc.].
1849 R. Cobden Speeches 4 The balance-sheets of our merchants and manufacturers have been equally adverse.
1868 J. Bright Speeches Public Policy II. 366 If a balance-sheet could be shown of what Algeria has cost France.
balance-step n. = (goose-step n. b).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > evolution > [noun] > marching > step > specific
sidestep1757
slow step1763
quickstep1766
high step1776
lockstep1787
goose-step1806
balance-step1833
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. i. 16 (heading) The balance step in double time.
balance weight n. a counterpoise weight.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > weight or relative heaviness > [noun] > ponderable matter > that which is heavy or a heavy mass > used on account of its weight > equal or counterbalancing
counterpoisec1430
counterbalance1611
witherweight1642
counterweight1693
balance weight1824
1824 R. Stevenson Bell Rock Lighthouse v. 296 The upright shaft of the new crane was to be kept in an erect position by a balance-weight acting upon the opposite end of the loaded working-beam.
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. x. §2310 The cage returning to the upper floor for a fresh load by means of a balance weight.
1960 Dict. Mech. Engin. (ed. 8) 19 The weights placed in the driving-wheels of locomotives are termed balance weights.
balance-wise adv. in the manner of a balance.
ΚΠ
1663 Marquis of Worcester Cent. Names & Scantlings Inventions xx How to bring up water Balance-wise.
balance-yard n. the beam of a balance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > equipment for weighing > [noun] > a weighing apparatus > a balance > beam of a balance
balk1399
beam1420
weigh-balkc1485
scale-beam1723
balance-yard1810
balance-beam1813
1810 S. T. Coleridge Friend (1865) 35 The other scale..seemed full up to the very balance-yard.
Draft additions 1997
Esp. in complementary medicine, a state of healthy equilibrium resulting from a harmonious relationship between various aspects of the person, as body and mind, ‘yin’ and ‘yang’, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > [noun] > good health > healthy equilibrium
balance1964
1964 L. Moss Acupuncture & You ii. 21 The distribution and balance are never constant in the human body... An inner rhythm is being stimulated by the Yang.
1978 B. Sultanoff in M. Blate Natural Healer's Acupressure Handbk. p. viii This ‘holistic’ perspective on the essence of healing presents us with a practical challenge: How can we best utilize the knowledge and services encompassed by Western medicine while maintaining a ‘healthstyle’ attuned to principles of order, balance, and self-reliance?
1981 V. Kulvinskas et al. Life in 21st Cent. iv. iii. 187 Are you a ‘head’ person or a ‘body’ person or perhaps ‘centered’ in perfect balance and harmony?
1983 S. M. Hillier & J. A. Jewell Health Care & Trad. Med. in China vi. 150 The ‘Huangdi Neijing’ pays great attention to the achievement of good balance both in one's mental and physical states.
1989 R. Coward Whole Truth (1990) i. 32 The body is used as a source of ideas about ‘wholeness’, ‘balance’ and ‘harmony’, involving both the body and the mind.
1990 A. Stevens On Jung iii. 49 The psyche, like the body, was a self-regulating system. It strives perpetually to maintain a balance.
Draft additions September 2013
balance certificate n. Stock Market a certificate representing the amount of stock or shares remaining invested after some of the original holding has been sold.Cf. stock certificate n. at stock n.1 and adj. Compounds 1c(b), share certificate n. at share n.2 Compounds 2b.
ΚΠ
1793 Mercury (Boston) 6 Dec. Wanted to Purchase, A Quantity of Six Per Cents, Three Per Cents, State Notes, and Balance Certificates.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 20 July 6/1 There are few things more disturbing to the harmony that ought to prevail between a broker and his client than the question of balance certificates.
1992 L. C. B. Gower Princ. Mod. Company Law (ed. 5) 395 On registration by the company a buyer receives a new certificate and the seller a balance certificate for any shares he retains.
2011 Market News Publishing (Nexis) 30 Nov. FAST..streamlines transfers..in the form of a jumbo balance certificate... These balance certificates are increased and decreased daily.
Draft additions January 2018
balance bike n. a type of learner's bicycle which has no pedals or training wheels but is instead propelled by the rider pushing his or her feet along the ground, designed to help young children learn to balance and steer.
ΚΠ
2007 Guardian 3 Mar. (Cycling Suppl.) 21/2 My three-year-old daughter Pasha had, by now, managed to master the pedal-less balance bike she'd been given for Christmas.
2017 T. Seldin How to Raise Amazing Child Montessori Way (ed. 2) 83 The next step might be a balance bike, which has no pedals. As children push themselves along they lift their feet off the ground and gradually develop balance.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
balancev.
/ˈbaləns/, /ˈbaln̩s/, U.S. /ˈbæləns/ I. To place or weigh in the scales. Chiefly figurative.
1. transitive. To weigh (a matter); to estimate the two aspects or sides of anything; to ponder.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)]
talec897
ween971
takec1175
weigha1200
deem?c1225
judge?c1225
guessc1330
reta1382
accounta1387
aretc1386
assize1393
consider1398
ponder?a1400
adjudgec1440
reckonc1440
peisec1460
ponderate?a1475
poisea1483
trutinate1528
steem1535
rate?1555
sense1564
compute1604
censure1605
cast1606
cense1606
estimate1651
audit1655
state1671
balance1692
esteem1711
appraise1823
figure1854
tally1860
revalue1894
lowball1973
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > consider, deliberate [verb (transitive)]
i-thenchec897
showeOE
i-mune971
thinkOE
overthinkOE
takec1175
umbethinkc1175
waltc1200
bethinkc1220
wend?c1225
weighc1380
delivera1382
peisea1382
considerc1385
musec1390
to look over ——a1393
advise?c1400
debatec1400
roll?c1400
revert?a1425
advertc1425
deliberc1425
movec1425
musec1425
revolvec1425
contemplec1429
overseec1440
to think overc1440
perpend1447
roil1447
pondera1450
to eat inc1450
involvec1470
ponderate?a1475
reputec1475
counterpoise1477
poisea1483
traversec1487
umbecast1487
digest1488
undercast1489
overhalec1500
rumble1519
volve?1520
compassa1522
recount1526
trutinate1528
cast1530
expend1531
ruminate1533
concoct1534
contemplate1538
deliberate1540
revolute1553
chawa1558
to turn over1568
cud1569
cogitate1570
huik1570
chew1579
meditatec1580
discourse1581
speculate1599
theorize1599
scance1603
verse1614
pensitate1623
agitate1629
spell1633
view1637
study1659
designa1676
introspect1683
troll1685
balance1692
to figure on or upon1837
reflect1862
mull1873
to mull over1874
scour1882
mill1905
1692 R. L'Estrange Fables ccccv. 381 We Weigh and Ballance things before we pronounce them to be either Good or Evil.
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals iii. i Weighing and balancing what you were pleased to mention.
1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iii. 54 She balanced this a little, And told me she would answer us to-day.
2. To weigh two things, considerations, etc., against each other, so as to ascertain which preponderates.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > involving comparison
counterpoise1477
balance1596
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. ii. sig. N7 Then would he ballaunce heauen and hell together. View more context for this quotation
1610 R. Hill Pathway to Prayer (ed. 4) 283 Christ..is ballanced with Barabbas, & thought lighter then a murderer.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. iii. 47 To weigh and balance Pleasures and Uneasinesses.
1875 L. H. Grindon Life (new ed.) i. 1 Truth..is determined by balancing probabilities.
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xviii. 216 His good and bad actions are balanced against each other.
3. To counterbalance or counterpoise one thing by, with, or against another.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > balance against or counterbalance
gaina1375
counterpoise1393
peisea1400
weigh1583
set1589
poise1600
to weigh against, again1600
affront1609
balance1624
cancel1633
counterbalance1636
counterpose1636
compensate1656
equilibriatea1657
outset1656
equiponderate1661
equipoise1664
equibalance1665
offset1673
countersway1710
to set off1749
counterweigh1825
equilibrate1829
to set against ——1832
equilibrize1833
1624 Ld. Kensington Let. 31 Aug. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1825) III. 173 That the honor of the Prince..might be deerer to her then to be balanced with that which, etc.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 220 Another meanes to curbe them, is to Ballance them by others, as Proud as they.
1850 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters iii. §i. viii A mass of subdued colour may be balanced by a point of a powerful one.
1860 E. B. Pusey Minor Prophets 47 The self-same wisdom which balanced Egypt against Assyria.
1884 American 7 345 To balance asymmetrically-placed entrance-doors with lobsided windows.
4. To bring to or keep in equilibrium. spec. of sources of sound (cf. balance n.1 14b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > balance
peisea1382
counterpoise1393
counterweighc1430
ballast1611
evena1618
equilibrate1625
balance1634
poise1639
to hold scale with1650
weigh1697
equipoisea1764
trim1817
to even up1863
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > pleasantness of sound > make pleasant sound [verb (transitive)] > make musical or harmonious
harmonize1700
melodizea1727
balance1928
1634 W. Habington Castara ii. 47 That Kings, to ballance true content, shall say; Would they were great as we, we blest as they.
1738 A. Pope One Thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty Eight 5 Did not the Sneer of more impartial men At Sense and Virtue, balance all agen.
1810 S. T. Coleridge Friend (1865) 81 On which it may fix its attention, and thus balance its own energies.
1853 G. Brimley Ess. (1858) viii. 290 [The painter] may fail to balance his masses.
1928 B.B.C. Handbk. 1929 68 A..new design of control room has been decided upon, wherein effects, echoes, background music, etc. can be mixed together and so balanced by a specially-trained operator.
1933 L. E. C. Hughes Elem. Engin. Acoustics vii. 141 The..method is to accept the calibration curve of a moving-coil receiver, and to balance their output when supplied by a constant note.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio ii. 48 Completely dead sound is difficult to balance.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio iii. 52 When balancing music there is..no clear-cut set of rules.
5.
a. To steady (a body under the influence of opposing forces); to poise, keep steady or erect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > absence of support > hold up without support or in equilibrium [verb (transitive)]
hanga1382
poise1598
suspend1646
buoy1782
balance1841
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xiii. 161 Strong men..balancing chests of drawers..upon their heads.
1875 F. T. Buckland Log-bk. Fisherman 54 Sculptors are sometimes obliged to use a species of tail in balancing their statues.
b. reflexive and intransitive. To keep oneself in equilibrium.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > equal [verb (reflexive)] > recover one's balance
recovera1393
right?1586
balance1833
the world > space > relative position > support > absence of support > be unsupported [verb (intransitive)] > be held up without support
hangc1175
hovec1220
hover1578
to hang on the trip1681
poise1818
dream1828
balance1833
pendulize1869
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. i. 15 The Instructor will afterwards make the recruit balance upon the left foot, advancing and retiring the right in the same manner.
1866 W. D. Howells Venetian Life iv. 58 Balanced herself half over the balcony-rail.
6. To steady, give (mental) balance or ballast to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > adhere constantly or steadfastly to [verb (transitive)] > make steadfast
strongOE
strengthc1200
stablea1300
resolvea1398
sadc1400
nourish?a1425
settle1435
pitha1500
stiffen?a1500
steel1581
toughen1582
ballastc1600
efforta1661
fix1671
balance1685
to fix the mercury1704
instrengthen1855
to put stuffing into1977
1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. 1 Tim. iii. 6 Young, raw Christians..have had less time to learn the great things which should ballance them. [See balanced adj. 3a.]
II. To act as things in the opposite scales of a balance; literal and figurative.
7. transitive. To equal in weight, counterpoise, neutralize the weight of. Also absol. to balance (each other).
ΚΠ
a1727 I. Newton Opticks (1730) iii. i. 346 The Attraction of the Glass is..balanced..by the contrary Attraction of the Liquor.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 91 The column of water..balances the atmospheric pressure.
1885 N.E.D. at Balance Mod. Do these scales balance?
8. Hence: To compensate, neutralize the effect of, make up for.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > compensate or make up for
restorea1325
to make good1389
boot1393
rewarda1398
supplya1398
to make up1472
upset1513
to fetch again1535
redeem1590
balance1594
pay1596
unpay1600
to make out1610
requitea1613
to pay home1625
encourage1628
compensate1646
compensate1656
reprise1662
to take up1662
to fetch up1665
to pay off1717
indemnify1750
to bring up arrears1788
equalize1866
reparate1956
1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido iii. iv I saw no King like thee, Whose golden crown might balance my content.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. vi. 279 Wherefore, to ballance the Protestants, the Iesuits were set on foot.
1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. v. 90 So many things..ballance the Sorrow of it.
1837 J. H. Newman Parochial Serm. I. xxiv. 358 Our duties balance each other.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise I. i. 384 And weariness was balanced with delight.
9. intransitive. To act as a counterpoise, be equal (with).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > be or become equal [verb (intransitive)] > balance or be balanced > act as a counterbalance
counterpoisec1430
counterweigh1523
balance1597
to set off1824
1597 T. Beard Theatre Gods Iudgements ii. xlix. 469 Could such a punishment ballance with his so..great offences?
III. To oscillate like the beam of a balance.
10. intransitive. To waver, deliberate, hesitate. Cf. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)]
haltc825
flecchec1300
waverc1315
flickerc1325
wag1387
swervea1400
floghter1521
stacker1526
to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530
wave1532
stagger1533
to hang in the wind1536
to waver as, like, with the wind1548
mammer1554
sway1563
dodge1568
erch1584
suspend1585
float1598
swag1608
hoverc1620
hesitate1623
vacillate1623
fluctuate1634
demur1641
balance1656
to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674
to stand shall I, shall I1674
to go shill-I shall-I1700
to stand at shilly-shally1700
to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734
whiffle1737
dilly-dally1740
to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751
oscillate1771
shilly-shally1782
dacker1817
librate1822
humdrum1825
swing1833
(to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848
to back and fill1854
haver1866
wobble1867
shaffle1873
dicker1879
to be on the weigh-scales1886
waffle1894
to think twice1898
to teeter on the brink1902
dither1908
vagulate1918
pern1920
1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. iii. i. 49 Her great danger..invited my assistance, which, without balancing I ran to pay her.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. xxvi. 244 He had..no very strong aspirations after matrimony; and had balanced about it a good while.
1825 R. P. Ward Tremaine I. v. 37 Mrs. Belson balanced some time upon this, as any good mother would.
1850 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire I. ix. 424 The same disposition to balance and temporize..wrecked his fortunes as a statesman.
11. Of partners in dancing: To move to and fro in converse directions like the arms of a balance, to set to a partner.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [verb (intransitive)] > figures > specific figures
set1652
balance1775
poussette1798
thread the needle1843
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals iii. iv. 54 I must rub up my balancing, and chasing, and boring.
1859 in J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang.
12. transitive. To sway backwards and forwards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > oscillate [verb (transitive)] > about a point of equilibrium
librate1667
balance1728
1728 A. Pope Dunciad iii. 162 Tuning his voice, and balancing his hands.
IV. Of an account. literal and figurative.
13. transitive. To add up the debit and credit sides of an account or set of accounts, and ascertain the difference, if any, between their respective amounts.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > add up and ascertain differences
to make up1471
balance1588
1588 H. Oldcastle & J. Mellis Briefe Instr. Accompts sig. Evij At your viages returne..ballance vp the bookes.
1735 J. Swift Humble Addr. to Parl. in Wks. IV. 212 To compute and ballance my Gain and my Loss.
1796 E. Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 383 Thus we balance the account;—defeat and dishonour abroad; oppression at home.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Audley Court in Poems (new ed.) II. 44 Oh! who would cast and balance at a desk?
14.
a. To make such entries in an account or set of accounts as make the two sides equal; to produce an equality in the total amounts of the debit and credit entries of a set of accounts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > balance against or counterbalance > of a thing
counterbalance1611
balance1622
counterweigh1856
counterpoise-
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > add up and ascertain differences > balance or reconcile
strike1539
sald1588
rescounter1606
even1619
balance1622
level1660
square1815
reconcile1822
agree1882
cash1960
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 371 And if he had beene a loser by the Account of profit and losse, then must he make his Capitall Debtor, and the said Account Creditor, to ballance the matter.
1878 W. S. Jevons Polit. Econ. 52 To make the profits of the successful business balance the losses of the unfortunate ones.
b. In this sense, also, accounts are said (intr.) to balance (i.e. themselves); or an entry is said to balance the account, or balance an opposite entry.
ΚΠ
1675 J. Gregory Let. in S. P. Rigaud & S. J. Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men 17th Cent. (1841) (modernized text) II. 276 I cannot perceive how the balance balanceth the book.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. viii. 373 The happy crisis which was to ballance the account of all their past calamities.
15. Hence: To settle (an account) by paying an amount due, to clear off a liability.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > payment > payment of debt > pay debt [verb (transitive)]
quit?c1225
acquita1250
to pay up1434
satisfy1437
discharge1439
defease1480
persolve1548
solve1558
defray1576
affray1584
clear1600
to pay off1607
extinguish1630
to lay downa1640
wipe1668
settle1688
sink1694
retrieve1711
to clear up1726
balance1740
liquidate1755
to clear off1766
square1821
amortize1830
1740 C. Cibber Apol. Life C. Cibber vi. 113 The End of the Season, when Dues to Ballance came too thick upon 'em.
1877 ‘H. A. Page’ T. De Quincey: Life & Writings II. xvi. 20 A cheque for £30, to balance his account.
V. Nautical senses, perhaps influenced by ballast.
16. Nautical. To reef with a balance-reef, so as to steady the ship in bad weather: see balance n.1 7. Perhaps originally ballast.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > carry specific amount of sail [verb (transitive)] > reduce sail by reefing > in specific way
double-reef1703
close-reef1758
balance1764
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xv. 414 We furl'd our Main-sail, and ballasted our Mizen.]
1764 W. Falconer Shipwreck (new ed.) ii. 63 The ballanc'd mizen rending to the head.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. E2v A boom-main-sail is balanced, after all its reefs are taken in, by rolling up a similar portion of the hindmost, or aftmost lower-corner.
17. To ballast. Obsolete. rare. Cf. balance n.1 7 ¶.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > other nautical operations > [verb (transitive)] > supply with ballast
ballast1538
lastage1552
balance1583
saburrate1623
1583 P. Stubbes Anat. Abuses sig. Ov Their is no ship, so balanced with massie matter, as their heads are fraught with all kind of bawdie songs.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. Rr2v Upper-work, that part of a ship which is above the surface of the water when she is properly balanced for a sea-voyage.]
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.11297v.1583- defenselessnesses
- defenses
- defensibilities
- defensibility
- defensible
- defensible array
- defensible men
- defensibleness
- defensiblenesses
- defensibly
- defensin
- defensing
- defensins
- defension
- defensional
- defensism
- defensist
- defensive
- defensive back
- defensive coordinator
- defensive driving
- defensive end
- defensive line
- defensive line coach
- defensive lineman