Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A centimeter-gram-second unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter.
- intransitive verb To carry or hold in equilibrium; balance.
- intransitive verb To cause to be ready or about to do something.
- intransitive verb To be balanced or held in suspension.
- noun Confident composure; self-possession.
- noun Bearing of the body, especially when graceful.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Weight; ponderosity; gravity.
- noun A weight; especially, the weight or mass of metal used in weighing with steelyards to balance the substance weighed.
- noun A thing suspended or attached as a counterweight; hence, that which counterbalances; a counterpoise.
- noun A state of balance; equipoise; equilibrium; hence, equanimity.
- noun The condition of balancing or hovering; suspended motion.
- To weigh; ascertain by weighing or balancing; figuratively, to weigh; ponder; consider.
- To counterbalance; be of equal weight with.
- To balance; make of equal weight; hold or place in equilibrium: as, to
poise the scales of a balance. - To hold suspended or in suspense; delay.
- To weigh or press down; force.
- To be balanced or suspended; hence, figuratively, to hang in suspense.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To balance; to make of equal weight.
- transitive verb To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance.
- transitive verb To counterpoise; to counterbalance.
- transitive verb To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh.
- transitive verb obsolete To weigh (down); to oppress.
- intransitive verb To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.
- noun Weight; gravity; that which causes a body to descend; heaviness.
- noun The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.
- noun The state of being balanced by equal weight or power; equipoise; balance; equilibrium; rest.
- noun That which causes a balance; a counterweight.
- noun a dignified and self-confident manner; graceful composure and tact in handling difficult social situations.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun obsolete
Weight ; an amount of weight, the amount something weighs. - noun A
state ofbalance ,equilibrium orstability - noun
composure ;freedom fromembarrassment oraffectation - noun
mien ;bearing ordeportment of thehead orbody - noun A
condition ofhovering , or beingsuspended - noun physics A
cgs unit ofdynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second persquare centimeter . - verb obsolete To hang in
equilibrium ; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun 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
- verb hold or carry in equilibrium
- verb cause to be balanced or suspended
- noun a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium
- noun great coolness and composure under strain
- verb be motionless, in suspension
- verb prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Something happens to a man that deeply stirs him, as an insult, or a falling out with a friend, or the loss of money, -- something which disturbs what we call his poise or peace of mind.
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I've gained lifelong friends, fans and customers from them witnessing what they call poise under pressure - and I call common courtesy.
Site Reference - Webmaster Articles Tinu AbayomiPaul 2009
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Blackpool attacked with greater invention and poise from the start, just as Holloway and his players had openly admitted they would do beforehand.
Blackpool deserve more praise after media focus on burying Liverpool Andy Hunter 2010
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The Celtics had much more poise from the opening tip in Game 7, playing vicious defense that forced Los Angeles to miss 21 of its first 27 shots.
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Her grace a poise is beyond anything Ive ever seen.
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(AP) - A sure sign of poise from a rookie quarterback: Vince Young even lobbies for instant-replay calls like a veteran.
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"Then, you throw in poise, command and makeup, and you know why it isn't easy to find a good lefty."
USATODAY.com - When it comes to pitching, left-handers get extra benefits 2005
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Brent Johnson's playoff poise is similar to his grandfather's, and his workmanlike approach to stopping pucks stems from the barrage of shots his dad fired at him as a teen.
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Although its poise is sometimes in displacing experience it is not a substitute for it.
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That there were some flashes of attacking poise from the Welsh to remind you of such lineage no doubt only compounded the rage of Gatland.
oroboros commented on the word poise
POiSE
June 14, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word poise
(Mr. Richard, by Belle and Sebastian)
November 10, 2010