equipoise
http://wordsmith.org/words/equipoise.html
PRONUNCIATION:
(EE-kwuh-poiz, EK-wuh-)
MEANING:
noun: 1. A state of balance. 2. Something that serves as a counterbalance.
verb tr.: To counterbalance.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin aequi- (equal) + Old French pois (weight), from Latin pendere (to weigh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous.
USAGE:
"In his [Denzel Washington's] luminous portrait, dignity and destructiveness find a perfect equipoise."
John Lahr; Theatre: Wheels of Misfortune; The New Yorker; May 10, 2010.
PRONUNCIATION:
(EE-kwuh-poiz, EK-wuh-)
MEANING:
noun: 1. A state of balance. 2. Something that serves as a counterbalance.
verb tr.: To counterbalance.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin aequi- (equal) + Old French pois (weight), from Latin pendere (to weigh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous.
USAGE:
"In his [Denzel Washington's] luminous portrait, dignity and destructiveness find a perfect equipoise."
John Lahr; Theatre: Wheels of Misfortune; The New Yorker; May 10, 2010.