balance

English Online Dictionary. What means balance‎? What does balance mean?

English

Alternative forms

• balaunce (obsolete)

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæləns/
• Rhymes: -æləns

Noun

balance (countable and uncountable, plural balances)

1. (uncountable) A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
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.

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.
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.

10. (watchmaking) A device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc.
11. (law, business, statistics) The remainder.

12. (obsolete, astrology) Libra.

Synonyms

• (scales): pair of scales, set of scales, scales, weighing machine, weighbridge (for vehicles)
• (equilibrium): equilibrium
• (support for both viewpoints): disinterest, even-handedness, fairness, impartiality, neutrality, nonpartisanship
• (list of credits and debits): account

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “equilibrium”): nonequilibrium, imbalance, unbalance
• (antonym(s) of “support for both viewpoints”): bias, favor/favour, partiality, partisanship, prejudice, unfairness

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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.

4. (transitive) To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
5. (transitive, dance) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally.

6. (nautical) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass.

7. (transitive) To make the credits and debits of (an account) correspond.
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

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• belacan

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.lɑ̃s/

Noun

balance f (plural balances)

1. scales (clarification of this definition is needed)
2. (chemistry, physics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed)
3. (economics, electricity, politics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed)
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

• mettre en balance
• peser dans la balance

Related terms

• balancer
• balançoire

Descendants

• → Russian: бала́нс (baláns)
• → Ukrainian: бала́нс (baláns)

Verb

balance

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

Further reading

• “balance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• bancale

Latin

Noun

balance

1. ablative singular of balanx

Middle English

Noun

balance

1. Alternative form of balaunce

Middle French

Alternative forms

• ballance, balanche, balence

Etymology

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

Noun

balance f (plural balances)

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

Descendants

• French: balance

References

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

Old French

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx.

Noun

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

1. scales (weighing scales)

Descendants

• Middle French: balance, ballance, balanche, balence
  • French: balance
• Norman: balanche
• → Middle English: balaunce, ballaunce, balance, balaunse, balans, belaunce
  • English: balance
  • Scots: ballance

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (balance)

Portuguese

Verb

balance

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

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /baˈlanθe/ [baˈlãn̟.θe]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /baˈlanse/ [baˈlãn.se]
• Rhymes: -anθe
• Rhymes: -anse
• Syllabification: ba‧lan‧ce

Noun

balance m (plural balances)

1. balance; weighing up
   • 1988, Mecano, Un año más (written by Nacho Cano)

2. (accounting) balance

   Synonym: saldo

Further reading

• “balance”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

Anagrams

• cablean