equilibrist

American  

[ih-kwil-uh-brist, ee-kwuh-lib-rist, ek-wuh-] / ɪˈkwɪl ə brɪst, ˌi kwəˈlɪb rɪst, ˌɛk wə- /

noun

1. a performer who is skilled at balancing in unusual positions and hazardous movements, as a tightrope walker in a circus.

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equilibrist British  

/ ɪˈkwɪlɪbrɪst /

noun

1. a person who performs balancing feats, esp on a high wire

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• equilibristic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of equilibrist

From the French word équilibriste, dating back to 1750–60. See equilibrium, -ist

Explanation

An equilibrist is a person who performs daring feats of balance. If you had to carry supplies across a sagging rope bridge with no handrails, being an equilibrist would help. Most equilibrists are performers who've mastered the art of equilibrium, such as circus tightrope walkers and high-wire acrobats. An equilibrist might balance on their hands, ride a unicycle, or perform atop a stack of chairs. A particularly daring equilibrist might walk across a steep canyon on a slackwire (a loose rope that can sway from side to side, unlike a tightrope) while juggling! The word equilibrist is sometimes used figuratively to describe someone balancing many different tasks and competing interests at once.

Example Sentences

Naturally a good equilibrist, the girl took easily to the motor-cycle, and even when Joe went at top speed on some smooth road she liked it.

From Joe Strong, the Boy Fish or Marvelous Doings in a Big Tank by Barnum, Vance

Trewey is nowhere as an equilibrist, compared to a gallant veteran who breakfasted at my table, this morning.

From A Frenchman in America Recollections of Men and Things by O'Rell, Max

At that time I was a contortionist and they called me the Snake-Man; then I became an equilibrist and adopted the name of Don Alonso.

From The Quest by Goldberg, Isaac

Or merely a feint to thrill us?—the feint of an equilibrist so secure that he can pretend to lose his balance?

From And Even Now by Beerbohm, Max, Sir

They are narrow enough to test the skill of an equilibrist, and it may be they are put down to drill the courtiers in that useful art.

From Empires and Emperors of Russia, China, Korea, and Japan Notes and Recollections by Monsignor Count Vay de Vaya and Luskod by Vay, P?ter