countervail

[koun-ter-veyl]

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verb (used with object)

to act or avail against with equal power, force, or effect; counteract.

to furnish an equivalent of or a compensation for; offset.

Archaic. to equal.

verb (used without object)

to be of equal force in opposition; avail.

Origin of countervail

1350–1400; Middle English contrevailen < Anglo-French countrevail-, tonic stem (subjunctive) of countrevaloir to equal, be comparable to < Latin phrase contrā valēre to be of worth against (someone or something). See counter-, -valent

Related formsun·coun·ter·vailed, adjective

Synonyms for countervail

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1. counterbalance, counterpoise, neutralize.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for countervail

counterpoise, invalidate, neutralize, undo, nullify, counterbalance, counteract, balance

Examples from the Web for countervail

Historical Examples of countervail

In the case of Dryden there is nothing to countervail this presumption.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.
Thomas Babington Macaulay
You had, besides, on Virginia, sacred claims which nothing could countervail.
Paul and Virginia
Bernardin de Saint Pierre
If I thought of it at all, it was as the agent of a necessity which I could not countervail.
Confession
W. Gilmore Simms
There are armed men enow to countervail all your efforts at escape.
The Monastery
Sir Walter Scott
No time was to be lost, and measures were immediately taken to countervail these designs.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 1 (of 2)
John Roby

British Dictionary definitions for countervail

countervail

verb

(when intr, usually foll by against) to act or act against with equal power or force

(tr) to make up for; compensate; offset

Word Origin for countervail

C14: from Old French contrevaloir, from Latin contrā valēre, from contrā against + valēre to be strong

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for countervail

late 14c., "to be worth as much as," also "to prevail against," from Anglo-French countrevaloir, Old French contrevaloir "to be effective against, be comparable to," from Latin phrase contra valere "to be worth against" (see contra- and valiant). Related: Countervailing.