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balance

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Balance and balancé

English

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A balance (scales)
A rock balanced on one corner

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁
Proto-Indo-European *dwi-
Proto-Italic *dwi-
Latin bi-
Latin lanx
Latin bilanx
Vulgar Latin *bilancia
Old French balancebor.
Middle English balaunce
English balance

    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”).

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈbæləns/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Rhymes: -æləns

    Noun

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    balance (countable and uncountable, plural balances)

    1. (uncountable) A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
      • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 196:
        But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things.
    2. (uncountable) Mental equilibrium; mental health; calmness, a state of remaining clear-headed and unperturbed.
    3. (literally or figuratively) Something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium; counterweight.
      These weights are used as a balance for the overhanging verandah.
      Blair thought he could provide a useful balance to Bush's policies.
    4. A pair of scales.
    5. (uncountable) Awareness of both viewpoints or matters; neutrality; rationality; objectivity.
    6. (uncountable) The overall result of conflicting forces, opinions etc.; the influence which ultimately "weighs" more than others.
      The balance of power finally lay with the Royalist forces.
      I think the balance of opinion is that we should get out while we're ahead.
      • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian‎[1]:
        The shift in the balance of power online has allowed anyone to publish to the world, from dispirited teenagers in south London to an anonymous cyber-dissident in a Middle East autocracy.
    7. (uncountable) Apparent harmony in art (between differing colours, sounds, etc.).
    8. (accounting) A list accounting for the debits on one side, and for the credits on the other.
    9. (accounting) The result of such a procedure; the difference between credit and debit of an account.
      I just need to nip to a bank and check my balance.
    10. (watchmaking) A device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc.
    11. (law, business, statistics) The remainder.
      The balance of the agreement remains in effect.
      The invoice said he had only paid $50. The balance was $220.
      Balance Luzon (Philippine usage)
    12. (obsolete, astrology) Libra.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Accounting and economics
    Other noun phrases
    Compound words
    Prepositional phrases
    Predicates

    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Verb

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    A girl balancing on a plank of wood

    balance (third-person singular simple present balances, present participle balancing, simple past and past participle balanced)

    1. (transitive) To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights.
    2. (transitive, figurative) To make (concepts) agree.
      • 2014, Peter Melville Logan, Olakunle George, Susan Hegeman, The Encyclopedia of the Novel:
        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.
    3. (transitive) To hold (an object or objects) precariously; to support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling.
      I balanced my mug of coffee on my knee.
      The circus performer balances a plate on the end of a baton.
    4. (transitive) To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
      • 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:
        Ballance the Good and Evil of Things.
      • 1941 September, Charles E. Lee, “Sheltering in London Tube Stations”, in Railway Magazine, page 389:
        Mr. Morrison's ruling to reopen the station as a shelter was given after he had balanced the relative dangers of flooding and bombing.
    5. (transitive, dance) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally.
      to balance partners
    6. (transitive, nautical) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass.
      to balance the boom mainsail
    7. (transitive) To make the credits and debits of (an account) correspond.
      to balance a set of books
      This final payment, or credit, balances the account.
    8. (intransitive) To be in equilibrium.
    9. (intransitive) To have matching credits and debits.
    10. (transitive, obsolete) To weigh in a balance.
    11. (intransitive, obsolete) To hesitate or fluctuate.

    Conjugation

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    Conjugation of balance
    infinitive (to) balance
    present tense past tense
    1st-person singular balance balanced
    2nd-person singular balance, balancest† balanced, balancedst†
    3rd-person singular balances, balanceth† balanced
    plural balance
    subjunctive balance balanced
    imperative balance —
    participles balancing balanced

    † Archaic or obsolete.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Anagrams

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    Chavacano

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Spanish balance (“balance”).

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /baˈlanse/, [baˈlãn.se]
    • Hyphenation: ba‧lan‧ce

    Noun

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    balance

    1. balance; difference

    Danish

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    Etymology

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    Via French balance, from Latin bilanx.

    Noun

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    balance c (singular definite balancen, plural indefinite balancer)

    1. balance
    2. (accounting) a balance sheet

    Declension

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    Declension of balance
    common
    gender     		singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative balance balancen balancer balancerne
    genitive balances balancens balancers balancernes

    Antonyms

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    Derived terms

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    See also

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    References

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    French

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Middle French balance, from Old French balance, from Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx, from bi- (see Latin bis) and lanx.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    balance f (plural balances)

    1. scales (clarification of this definition is needed (plural because it's a pair of scales?))
    2. (chemistry, physics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed (what is the hard science definition?))
    3. (economics, electricity, politics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed (what is the social science definition?))
    4. (fishing) drop-net
    5. (slang) informant, snitch
    6. (Louisiana) the rest, the remainder
    7. (Louisiana) a scale, more specifically a balancing scale

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Romanian: balanță
    • → Russian: бала́нс (baláns)
    • → Spanish: balance
    • → Ukrainian: бала́нс (baláns)

    Verb

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    balance

    1. inflection of balancer:
      1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
      2. second-person singular imperative

    Further reading

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    Anagrams

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    Latin

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    Noun

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    balance

    1. ablative singular of balanx

    Middle English

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    Noun

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    balance

    1. alternative form of balaunce

    Middle French

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    From Old French balance, from Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx.

    Noun

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    balance f (plural balances)

    1. scales (weighing scales)
    2. (figurative) arbitrator

    Descendants

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    References

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    • balance on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

    Old French

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    Etymology

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      From Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx.

      Noun

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      balance oblique singular, f (oblique plural balances, nominative singular balance, nominative plural balances)

      1. scales (weighing scales)

      Descendants

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      References

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      Portuguese

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      Verb

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      balance

      1. inflection of balançar:
        1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
        2. third-person singular imperative

      Spanish

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      balance m (plural balances)

      1. balance; weighing up
      2. (accounting) balance
        Synonym: saldo

      Further reading

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      Anagrams

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