equilibrium

Wikipedia

See also: Equilibrium

English

Alternative forms

• æquilibrium (dated)

Etymology

From Latin æquilībrium, from æquus (“equal”) + lībra (“balance”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɛkwɪˈlɪbɹɪəm/, /iːkwɪˈlɪbɹɪəm/

Noun

equilibrium (plural equilibriums or equilibria)

1. The condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced, resulting in no net change.
   • 1999, The Matrix, Agent smith speech

     Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus.

2. (physics) The state of a body at rest or in uniform motion in which the resultant of all forces on it is zero.
3. (chemistry) The state of a reaction in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are the same.
4. Mental balance.

Synonyms

• (a condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced): balance, stability
• (mental balance): sanity

Antonyms

• (a condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced): disequilibrium, imbalance, instability
• (in physics): disequilibrium, non-equilibrium
• (mental balance): insanity, instability, madness

Hypernyms

• (in physics): stasis

Derived terms

Terms derived from equilibri(um)

disequilibrium dynamic equilibrium equilibrist Nash equilibrium

neutral equilibrium stable equilibrium static equilibrium unstable equilibrium

Related terms

• equilibrate
• equilibrize

Translations

condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced

• Bulgarian: равновесие (bg) n (ravnovésie)
• Catalan: equilibri m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 平衡 (zh) (pínghéng)

• Czech: rovnováha f, ekvilibrium n
• Danish: ligevægt c
• Dutch: evenwicht (nl) n
• Esperanto: ekvilibro (eo)
• Estonian: tasakaal (et)
• Finnish: tasapaino (fi)
• French: équilibre (fr) m
• German: Gleichgewicht (de) n, Balance (de) f
• Greek: ισορροπία (el) f (isorropía)
• Hindi: साम्यावस्था f (sāmyāvasthā)

• Italian: equilibrio (it) m
• Japanese: 均衡 (ja) (きんこう, kinkō), バランス (ja) (baransu), 釣り合い (つりあい, tsuriai), 平衡 (ja) (へいこう, heikō)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: هاوسه‌نگ (hawseng)

• Norwegian: ekvilibrium n, likevekt (no) m
• Polish: równowaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: equilíbrio (pt) m
• Romanian: echilibru (ro) n, stabilitate (ro) f
• Russian: равновесие (ru) n (ravnovésije), баланс (ru) m (baláns)
• Scottish Gaelic: co-chothrom m
• Spanish: equilibrio (es) m
• Swedish: jämvikt (sv) c
• Ukrainian: рівновага f (rivnováha)

physics: state of a body at rest or in uniform motion in which the resultant of all forces on it is zero

• Bulgarian: равновесие (bg) n (ravnovesie)
• Catalan: equilibri m
• Czech: rovnováha f, ekvilibrium n
• Danish: ligevægt c
• Estonian: tasakaal (et)
• Finnish: tasapaino (fi)
• French: équilibre (fr) m
• German: Gleichgewicht (de) n

• Greek: ισορροπία [iso̞ro̞ˈpiˌa] f
• Italian: equilibrio (it) m
• Norwegian: ekvilibrium n, likevekt (no) m
• Polish: równowaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: equilíbrio (pt) m
• Romanian: echilibru (ro) n, stabilitate (ro) f
• Russian: равновесие (ru) n (ravnov'ésije)
• Spanish: equilibrio (es) m

chemistry: state of a reaction in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are the same

• Bulgarian: равновесие (bg) n (ravnovesie)
• Czech: rovnováha f, ekvilibrium n
• Danish: ligevægt c
• Estonian: tasakaal (et)
• Finnish: tasapaino (fi)
• French: équilibre (fr) m
• German: Gleichgewicht (de) n
• Greek: ισορροπία [iso̞ro̞ˈpiˌa] f
• Italian: equilibrio (it) m

• Japanese: 平衡 (ja) (へいこう, heikō)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: هاوسه‌نگ (hawseng)

• Norwegian: ekvilibrium n, likevekt (no) m
• Polish: równowaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: equilíbrio (pt) m
• Romanian: echilibru (ro) n
• Russian: равновесие (ru) n (ravnov'ésije)
• Spanish: equilibrio (es) m

mental balance

• Bulgarian: равновесие (bg) n (ravnovesie)
• Danish: sindsligevægt c
• Dutch: evenwicht (nl) n
• Estonian: vaimne tasakaal
• Finnish: tasapaino (fi)
• French: équilibre (fr) m
• German: Ausgeglichenheit (de) f
• Greek: διανοητική or ψυχική αταραξία [ataraˈk͡siˌa] / ισορροπία [iso̞ro̞ˈpiˌa] / ηρεμία [ire̞ˈmiˌa] (meaning: mental or psychic equanimity / balance / tranquillity) f

• Norwegian: sinnslikevekt m
• Polish: równowaga psychiczna f
• Portuguese: equilíbrio (pt) m
• Romanian: echilibru (ro) n, echilibru mintal n (spiritual), ponderație (ro) f
• Russian: равновесие (ru) n (ravnov'ésije)
• Spanish: equilibrio (es) m