Contents
- 1 English
- 1.1 Alternative forms
- 1.2 Etymology
- 1.3 Pronunciation
- 1.4 Noun
- 1.4.1 Synonyms
- 1.4.2 Antonyms
- 1.4.3 Derived terms
- 1.4.4 Translations
- 1.5 Verb
- 1.5.1 Conjugation
- 1.5.2 Derived terms
- 1.5.3 Translations
- 1.6 Anagrams
- 2 French
- 2.1 Etymology
- 2.2 Pronunciation
- 2.3 Noun
- 2.3.1 Derived terms
- 2.3.2 Related terms
- 2.3.3 Descendants
- 2.4 Verb
- 2.5 Further reading
- 2.6 Anagrams
- 3 Latin
- 3.1 Noun
- 4 Middle English
- 4.1 Noun
- 5 Middle French
- 5.1 Alternative forms
- 5.2 Etymology
- 5.3 Noun
- 5.3.1 Descendants
- 5.4 References
- 6 Old French
- 6.1 Etymology
- 6.2 Noun
- 6.2.1 Descendants
- 6.3 References
- 7 Portuguese
- 7.1 Verb
- 8 Spanish
- 8.1 Etymology
- 8.2 Pronunciation
- 8.3 Noun
- 8.4 Further reading
- 8.5 Anagrams
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- balaunce (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
| PIE word |
|---|
| *dwóh₁ |
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[edit]
Noun[edit]
balance (countable and uncountable, plural balances)
- (uncountable) A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 196:
But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things.
- (uncountable) Mental equilibrium; mental health; calmness, a state of remaining clear-headed and unperturbed.
- (literally or figuratively) Something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium; counterweight.
These weights are used as a balance for the overhanging verandah
Blair thought he could provide a useful balance to Bush's policies.
- A pair of scales.
- (uncountable) Awareness of both viewpoints or matters; neutrality; rationality; objectivity.
- (uncountable) The overall result of conflicting forces, opinions etc.; the influence which ultimately "weighs" more than others.
The balance of power finally lay with the Royalist forces.
I think the balance of opinion is that we should get out while we're ahead.
2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian[1]:
The shift in the balance of power online has allowed anyone to publish to the world, from dispirited teenagers in south London to an anonymous cyber-dissident in a Middle East autocracy.
- (uncountable) Apparent harmony in art (between differing colours, sounds, etc.).
- (accounting) A list accounting for the debits on one side, and for the credits on the other.
- (accounting) The result of such a procedure; the difference between credit and debit of an account.
I just need to nip to a bank and check my balance.
- (watchmaking) A device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc.
- (law, business) The remainder.
The balance of the agreement remains in effect.
The invoice said he had only paid $50. The balance was $220.
- (obsolete, astrology) Libra.
Synonyms[edit]
- (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[edit]
- (equilibrium): nonequilibrium, imbalance, unbalance
- (support for both viewpoints): bias, favor/favour, partiality, partisanship, prejudice, unfairness
Derived terms[edit]
Accounting and economics
Other noun phrases
- acro-balance
- ampere balance
- balance beam
- balance bicycle, b.bike
- balance board
- balance dock
- balance of nature
- balance of power
- balance of probabilities
- balance of probability
- balance of terror
- balance room
- balance weight, b.weight
- balance wheel
- basic balance
- check and balance
- chemical balance
- color balance
- compensation balance
- detailed balance
- hydrostatic balance
- Jolly balance
- Kelvin balance
- letter balance
- mass balance
- nitrogen balance
- power balance
- radiative balance
- Roberval balance
- Roman balance
- spring balance
- symmetrical balance
- torsion balance
- trial balance
- white balance
- work-life balance
Compound words
Prepositional phrases
Predicates
Translations[edit]
mental equilibrium
- Danish: ligevægtc
- Finnish: tasapaino(fi)
- Hungarian: kiegyensúlyozottság(hu), lelki béke
- Italian: equilibrio(it)m, punto di equilibriom
- Middle English: balaunce
- Russian: гармо́ния(ru) (garmónija) (figurative)
something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium
- Finnish: vastapaino(fi)
- French: contrepoids(fr)m
- Italian: contrappeso(it)m, bilanciamento(it)m
- Polish: balans(pl)m
- Russian: противовес(ru)m (protivoves)
scales — see scales
awareness of both viewpoints
- Albanian: balancë(sq)
- Bulgarian: баланси́раностf (balansíranost)
- Chinese:
- Danish: afvejningc
- Dutch: evenwicht(nl)n
- Finnish: tasapuolisuus(fi)
- German: Ausgewogenheitf
- Greek: ισορροπία(el)f (isorropía)
- Hebrew: איזוןm (izún)
- Hungarian: kiegyensúlyozottság(hu), elfogulatlanság(hu), semlegesség(hu)
- Italian: neutralità(it)f
- Japanese: 中立(ja) (ちゅうりつ, chūritsu)
- Macedonian: врамнотеженостf (vramnoteženost)
- Portuguese: equilíbrio(pt)m
- Russian: сбаланси́рованность(ru)f (sbalansírovannostʹ), взве́шенность(ru)f (vzvéšennostʹ), уравнове́шенность(ru)f (uravnovéšennostʹ), бала́нс(ru)m (baláns)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: равноте́жаf
- Roman: ravnotéža(sh)f
- Spanish: equilibrio(es)m
- Swedish: avvägning(sv)c
overall result of conflicting forces
apparent harmony in art
accounting: list of credits and debits
- Albanian: bilanc(sq)
- Arabic: رَصِيدm (raṣīd)
- Armenian: բալանս(hy) (balans), հաշվեկշիռ(hy) (hašvekšiṙ)
- Bulgarian: баланс(bg) (balans)
- Catalan: balanç(ca)m
- Chinese:
- Danish: balancec
- Dutch: balans(nl)m
- Finnish: tase(fi)
- French: solde(fr)m
- Galician: balance(gl)m
- Georgian: ბალანსი (balansi), სალდო (saldo), ანგარიში (angariši)
- German: Bilanz(de)f, Saldo(de)m, Guthaben(de)n
- Greek: ισοζύγιο(el)n (isozýgio)
- Hebrew: מאזן(he)m (ma'azán)
- Hungarian: mérleg(hu)
- Ido: bilanco(io)
- Indonesian: balans(id)
- Italian: bilancio(it)m
- Macedonian: била́нсm (biláns), салдоn (saldo)
- Polish: saldo(pl)n, bilans(pl)m
- Portuguese: balanço(pt)m
- Romanian: bilanț(ro)
- Russian: бала́нс(ru)m (baláns)
- Serbo-Croatian: bilancirati(sh)
- Spanish: balance(es)m
- Swedish: balansräkning(sv)c
difference between credit and debit of an account
- Chinese:
- Danish: saldo(da)c
- Esperanto: saldo(eo)
- Finnish: saldo(fi)
- French: solde(fr)m
- German: Saldo(de)m
- Hungarian: egyenleg(hu)
- Indonesian: saldo(id)
- Italian: saldo(it)m
- Japanese: 残額 (ざんがく, zangaku)
- Korean: 잔액(ko) (janaek)
- Malay: baki(ms)
- Maori: toenga, tapeke
- Polish: saldo(pl)n, bilans(pl)m
- Portuguese: saldo(pt)m
- Russian: са́льдо(ru)n (sálʹdo)
device that regulates the speed of a watch
remainder
astrology: Libra — see Libra
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout §Translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb[edit]
balance (third-person singular simple present balances, present participle balancing, simple past and past participle balanced)
- (transitive) To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights.
- (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.
- 2014', Peter Melville Logan, Olakunle George, Susan Hegeman, The Encyclopedia of the Novel
- (transitive) To hold (an object or objects) precariously; to support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling.
I balanced my mug of coffee on my knee.
The circus performer balances a plate on the end of a baton.
- (transitive) To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists:[…], London: […] R[ichard] Sare,[…], →OCLC:
Ballance the Good and Evil of Things.
1941 September, Charles E. Lee, “Sheltering in London Tube Stations”, in Railway Magazine, page 389:
Mr. Morrison's ruling to reopen the station as a shelter was given after he had balanced the relative dangers of flooding and bombing.
- (transitive, dance) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally.
to balance partners
- (nautical) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass.
to balance the boom mainsail
- (transitive) To make the credits and debits of (an account) correspond.
This final payment, or credit, balances the account.
to balance a set of books
1712 December 10 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, November 29, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 549; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition,[…], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker.
- The spelling has been modernized.
- (intransitive) To be in equilibrium.
- (intransitive) To have matching credits and debits.
- (transitive, obsolete) To weigh in a balance.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To hesitate or fluctuate.
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of balance
| infinitive | (to) balance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | balance | balanced | |
| 2nd-person singular | balance, balancest† | balanced, balancedst† | |
| 3rd-person singular | balances, balanceth† | balanced | |
| plural | balance | ||
| subjunctive | balance | balanced | |
| imperative | balance | — | |
| participles | balancing | balanced | |
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to bring to equipoise
- Bulgarian: уравновесявам(bg) (uravnovesjavam)
- Catalan: equilibrar(ca), compensar(ca)
- Finnish: tasapainottaa(fi)
- German: balancieren(de)
- Greek: ζυγίζω(el) (zygízo)
- Hebrew: אִזֵּן(he) (izén)
- Italian: bilanciare(it)
- Maori: tauta, whakataurite, whakatautika
- Norwegian: balansere(no)
- Portuguese: equilibrar(pt)
- Russian: уравнове́шивать(ru)impf (uravnovéšivatʹ), уравнове́сить(ru)pf (uravnovésitʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: балансирати
- Roman: balansirati(sh)
- Spanish: balancear(es)
- Swedish: balansera(sv)
to make concepts agree
- Finnish: tasapainottaa(fi)
- German: ausgleichen(de)
- Greek: ισορροπώ(el) (isorropó)
- Italian: bilanciare(it), equivalere(it), coniugare(it)
- Maori: whakatautika
- Portuguese: equilibrar(pt)
- Russian: уравнове́шивать(ru)impf (uravnovéšivatʹ), уравнове́сить(ru)pf (uravnovésitʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: балансирати
- Roman: balansirati(sh)
to hold precariously
- Bulgarian: балансирам(bg) (balansiram)
- Catalan: equilibrar(ca)
- Finnish: tasapainotella, pitää tasapainossa
- German: balancieren(de), im Gleichgewicht halten
- Greek: ισορροπώ(el) (isorropó)
- Italian: tenere in equilibrio, bilanciare(it)
- Norwegian: balansere(no)
- Polish: balansowaćimpf
- Portuguese: equilibrar(pt)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: балансирати
- Roman: balansirati(sh)
- Spanish: equilibrar(es)
- Swedish: balansera(sv)
to estimate — see estimate
dancing: to move toward, and then back from, reciprocally
accounting: to make credits and debits correspond
- Bulgarian: правя баланс (pravja balans)
- Finnish: tasapainottaa(fi)
- French: apurer(fr)
- German: bilanzieren(de)
- Greek: αντισταθμίζω(el) (antistathmízo)
- Italian: conguagliare(it), pareggiare(it)
- Norwegian: balansere(no)
- Polish: bilansowaćimpf, zbilansowaćpf
- Portuguese: balancear(pt)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: балансирати
- Roman: balansirati(sh)
- Spanish: hacer balance
- Swedish: balansera(sv)
be in equilibrium
- Bulgarian: уравновесен съм (uravnovesen sǎm)
- Finnish: olla tasapainossa
- Greek: ισορροπώ(el) (isorropó)
- Portuguese: equilibrar(pt)
- Swedish: balansera(sv), jämna ut sig, stå och väga, vara i jämvikt
to have matching credits and debits
- Bulgarian: балансиран съм (balansiran sǎm)
- Finnish: olla tasapainossa
- Greek: ισοσκελίζω(el) (isoskelízo)
- Macedonian: измирува (izmiruva)
- Polish: bilansować sięimpf, zbilansować siępf
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout §Translations.
Anagrams[edit]
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Inherited from Middle French balance, from Old French balance, from Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx, from bi- (see Latin bis) and lanx.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
balancef (plural balances)
- scales (clarification of this definition is needed)
- (chemistry, physics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed)
- (economics, electricity, politics) balance (clarification of this definition is needed)
- (fishing) drop-net
- (slang) informant, snitch
- (Louisiana) the rest, the remainder
- (Louisiana) a scale, more specifically a balancing scale
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Verb[edit]
balance
- inflection of balancer:
Further reading[edit]
- “balance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Noun[edit]
balance
Middle English[edit]
Noun[edit]
balance
- Alternative form of balaunce
Middle French[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French balance, from Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx.
Noun[edit]
balancef (plural balances)
- scales (weighing scales)
- (figurative) arbitrator
Descendants[edit]
- French: balance
References[edit]
- balance on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
Old French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Latin bilanx.
Noun[edit]
balance oblique singular,f (oblique plural balances, nominative singular balance, nominative plural balances)
- scales (weighing scales)
Descendants[edit]
- Middle French: balance, ballance, balanche, balence
- French: balance
- Norman: balanche
- → Middle English: balaunce, ballaunce, balance, balaunse, balans, belaunce
- English: balance
- Scots: ballance
References[edit]
- Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (balance)
Portuguese[edit]
Verb[edit]
balance
- inflection of balançar:
Spanish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): (Spain) /baˈlanθe/ [baˈlãn̟.θe]
- IPA(key): (Latin America) /baˈlanse/ [baˈlãn.se]
- (Spain) Rhymes: -anθe
- (Latin America) Rhymes: -anse
- Syllabification: ba‧lan‧ce
Noun[edit]
balancem (plural balances)
- (accounting) balance
- Synonym: saldo
- balance; weighing up
- 1988, Mecano, Un año más (written by Nacho Cano)
Cinco minutos màs para la cuenta atrás
Hacemos el balance de lo bueno y malo- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 1988, Mecano, Un año más (written by Nacho Cano)
Further reading[edit]
- “balance”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
