equilibrium

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

English

Alternative forms

• æquilibrium (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin aequilībrium, from 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.

   Synonyms: balance, stability

   Antonyms: disequilibrium, imbalance, instability

2. Mental balance.

   Synonym: sanity

   Antonyms: insanity, instability, madness
3. (chemistry) The state of a reaction in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are the same.
4. (physics) The state of a body at rest or in uniform motion in which the resultant of all forces on it is zero.

   Antonyms: disequilibrium, non-equilibrium

Hypernyms

• (in physics): stasis

Hyponyms

• (in physics): heat death (thermodynamic equilibrium state of maximum entropy)

Derived terms

Related terms

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References