Sekirov Dictionary

poise

/pɔɪz/

noun 9
verb 8
forms 5

noun9

•
A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.
- plants and animals, which are all made up of and nourished by water, and perhaps never return to water again, do not keep things at a poise — 1692
Composure; freedom from embarrassment or affectation.
Mien; bearing or deportment of the head or body.
A condition of hovering, or being suspended.
The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.
•
That which causes a balance; a counterweight.
- As for Hyperboles, I will neither quote Lucan, nor Statius, Men of an unbounded imagination, but who often wanted the Poyze of Judgement. — 1674
•
A CGS unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimetre.
- Letterpress and offset gloss varnishes normally have viscosities varying from 50 to 250 poises; they must stain the paper as little as possible, have insufficient tack to cause plucking, […] — 1959
Unit of viscosity in the centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS).
•
(no longer used) Weight; an amount of weight, the amount something weighs.
- as an huge rockie clift, / Whose false foundation waues haue washt away, / With dreadfull poyse is from the mayneland rift, / […] So downe he fell […] — 1590

verb8

•
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 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.
- He cannot sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence. — 1692
•
(no longer used) To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.
- The slender, graceful spars / Poise aloft in the air. — 1850
(no longer used) To counterpoise; to counterbalance.
•
(no longer used) To hold (something) with or against something else in equilibrium; to balance, counterpose.
- you saw her faire none els being by, / Her selfe poysd with her selfe in either eye. — 1591
•
(no longer used) To add weight to, to weigh down.
- Every man poiseth [translating poise] upon his fellowes sinne, and elevates his owne. — 1603
(no longer used) To be of a given weight; to weigh.

forms

poised · poising · poises · poiseth · poisest

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