poise
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poise 1
(poiz)v. poised, pois·ing, pois·es
v.tr.
1. To carry or hold in equilibrium; balance: I poised the pencil on the edge of the table.
2. To cause to be ready or about to do something: She is poised to win the nomination.
v.intr.
To be balanced or held in suspension: She poised at the end of the diving board.
n.
1. Confident composure; self-possession: answered the reporters' questions with poise.
2. Bearing of the body, especially when graceful: a ballerina's poise.
[Middle English poisen, to balance, weigh, from Old French peser, pois-, from Vulgar Latin *pēsāre, from Latin pēnsāre; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]
poise 2
(poiz, pwäz)n.
A centimeter-gram-second unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter.
[French, after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799-1869), French physician and physiologist.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
poise
(pɔɪz)n
1. composure or dignity of manner
2. physical balance or assurance in movement or bearing
3. the state of being balanced or stable; equilibrium; stability
4. the position of hovering
5. suspense or indecision
vb
6. to be or cause to be balanced or suspended
7. (tr) to hold, as in readiness: to poise a lance.
8. (tr) a rare word for weigh1
[C16: from Old French pois weight, from Latin pēnsum, from pendere to weigh]
poise
(pwɑːz; pɔɪz)n
(Units) the cgs unit of viscosity; the viscosity of a fluid in which a tangential force of 1 dyne per square centimetre maintains a difference in velocity of 1 centimetre per second between two parallel planes 1 centimetre apart. It is equivalent to 0.1 newton second per square metre. Symbol: P
[C20: named after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799–1869), French physician]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
poise1
(pɔɪz)n., v. poised, pois•ing. n.
1. a state of balance or equilibrium, as from equality or equal distribution of weight.
2. a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession: showed great poise in company.
3. steadiness; stability: intellectual poise.
4. the way of being poised, held, or carried.
5. the state or position of hovering.
v.t. 6. to adjust, hold, or carry in equilibrium; balance evenly.
7. to hold supported or raised, as in position for casting, using, etc.
v.i. 8. to rest in equilibrium; be balanced.
9. to hover, as a bird in the air.
[1350–1400; (n.) Middle English pois(e) weight < Old French < Late Latin pēnsum, n. use of neuter past participle of Latin pendere to weigh; (v.) Middle English: to weigh < Old French poiser, variant of peser < Latin pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere]
poise2
(pwɑz)n.
a centimeter-gram-second unit of viscosity, equal to 1 dyne-sec/cm2. Symbol: P
[1910–15; < French, after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799–1869), French physician]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
poise
Past participle: poised
Gerund: poising
Imperative |
---|
poise |
poise |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
Poise
Counterbalance weight for Cotton scales. A poise might weigh from a fraction of a pound to thirty or more pounds. It was more commonly referred to as a P.
1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn’t Know by W.R. Runyan Copyright © 2011 by W.R. Runyan
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | poise - a cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter; the viscosity of a fluid in which a force of one dyne per square centimeter maintains a velocity of 1 centimeter per second unit of viscosity - a unit of measurement for viscosity |
2. | poise - a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium equilibrium - a stable situation in which forces cancel one another | |
3. | poise - great coolness and composure under strain; "keep your cool" calm, calmness, composure, equanimity - steadiness of mind under stress; "he accepted their problems with composure and she with equanimity" | |
Verb | 1. | poise - be motionless, in suspension; "The bird poised for a few moments before it attacked" hover - hang in the air; fly or be suspended above |
2. | poise - prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult | |
3. | poise - cause to be balanced or suspended | |
4. | poise - hold or carry in equilibrium carry, bear, hold - support or hold in a certain manner; "She holds her head high"; "He carried himself upright" juggle - hold with difficulty and balance insecurely; "the player juggled the ball" balance, equilibrise, equilibrize, equilibrate - bring into balance or equilibrium; "She has to balance work and her domestic duties"; "balance the two weights" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
poise
noun
1. composure, cool (slang), presence, assurance, dignity, equilibrium, serenity, coolness, aplomb, calmness, equanimity, presence of mind, sang-froid, savoir-faire, self-possession It took a moment for Mark to recover his poise.
2. grace, balance, equilibrium, elegance Ballet classes are important for poise.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
poise
noun1. A stable, calm state of the emotions:
aplomb, balance, collectedness, composure, coolness, equanimity, imperturbability, imperturbableness, nonchalance, sang-froid, self-possession, unflappability.
Slang: cool.
2. Freedom from constraint, formality, embarrassment, or awkwardness:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تَوازُن، مِشْيَه متوازِنَهرَباطَة جأشيُوازِن
duševní rovnováharovnováhaudržovat v rovnováze
balancerefatningkropsbeherskelse
egyensúlyérzetkiegyensúlyoz
andlegt jafnvægihalda jafnvægistöîugleiki; góîur limaburîur
išlaikyti pusiausvyrąpakibęssavitvarda
balansētnosvērtībapaškontrolestājaturēt līdzsvaru
duševná rovnováhaudržiavať v rovnováhe
ağırbaşlılıkdengedengelemekkendine güven
poise
[pɔɪz]A. N
1. (= balance) → equilibrio m
B. VT
1. (= hold ready or balanced) → equilibrar, balancear
the rock was poised on the edge of the cliff → la roca se balanceaba al borde del precipicio
the hawk was poised in the air, about to swoop on its prey → el águila se cernía inmóvil en el aire, a punto de caer sobre su presa
a waitress approached, pencil poised → se acercó una camarera, lápicero en ristre
he remained poised between life and death → permanecía debatiéndose entre la vida y la muerte
the rock was poised on the edge of the cliff → la roca se balanceaba al borde del precipicio
the hawk was poised in the air, about to swoop on its prey → el águila se cernía inmóvil en el aire, a punto de caer sobre su presa
a waitress approached, pencil poised → se acercó una camarera, lápicero en ristre
he remained poised between life and death → permanecía debatiéndose entre la vida y la muerte
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
poise
n
(= carriage: of head, body) → Haltung f; (= grace) → Grazie f; the poise of her head → ihre Kopfhaltung; the graceful poise of the dancer’s body → die Grazie or graziöse Haltung der Tänzerin/des Tänzers
(= composure) → Gelassenheit f; (= self-possession) → Selbstsicherheit f; a woman of great poise and charm → eine Frau voller Selbstsicherheit und Charme; her poise as a hostess → ihre Sicherheit als Gastgeberin; to recover or regain one’s poise → seine Selbstbeherrschung wiedererlangen; he lacks poise → ihm fehlt die Gelassenheit
vt
(= balance, hold balanced) → balancieren; he poised the knife ready to strike → er hielt das Messer so, dass er jederzeit zustechen konnte; she poised her pen over her notebook → sie hielt den Kugelschreiber schreibbereit über ihrem Notizblock; the tiger poised itself to spring → der Tiger machte sich sprungbereit
(in passive) to be/hang poised (bird, rock, sword) → schweben; the diver was poised on the edge of the pool → der Taucher stand sprungbereit auf dem Beckenrand; the tiger was poised ready to spring → der Tiger lauerte sprungbereit; we sat poised on the edge of our chairs → wir balancierten auf den Stuhlkanten ? also poised a, b
vi → (für einen Moment) unbeweglich bleiben; (bird, helicopter) → schweben; he poised for a second on the edge of the pool → er verharrte einen Augenblick am Beckenrand
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
poise
[pɔɪz]1. n (carriage of head, body) → portamento; (balance) → equilibrio; (composure, dignity of manner) → padronanza di sé; (calmness) → calma
2. vt (balance) → mettere in equilibrio; (hold balanced) → tenere in equilibrio
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
poise
(poiz) verb to balance. He poised himself on the diving-board.
noun1. balance and control in bodily movement. Good poise is important for a dancer.
2. dignity and self-confidence. He lost his poise for a moment.
poised adjective1. staying in a state of balance and stillness. The car was poised on the edge of the cliff.
2. having the body in a state of tension and readiness to act. The animal was poised ready to leap.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.