poise.
A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.
Meaning & usage
A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.
Composure; freedom from embarrassment or affectation.
Mien; bearing or deportment of the head or body.
A condition of hovering, or being suspended.
A CGS unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimetre.
Weight; an amount of weight, the amount something weighs.
The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.
That which causes a balance; a counterweight.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pendere (“to weigh, ponder, think”). Doublet of peise.
To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.
To counterpoise; to counterbalance.
To be of a given weight; to weigh.
To add weight to, to weigh down.
To hold (something) with or against something else in equilibrium; to balance, counterpose.
To hold (something) in equilibrium, to hold balanced and ready; to carry (something) ready to be used.
I poised the crowbar in my hand, and waited.
to poise the scales of a balance
To keep (something) in equilibrium; to hold suspended or balanced.
The rock was poised precariously on the edge of the cliff.
To ascertain, as if by balancing; to weigh.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pendere (“to weigh, ponder, think”). Doublet of peise.
Unit of viscosity in the centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS).
Where this word comes from
From French physicist and physiologist Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.