poise

¹ American  

[poiz] / pɔɪz /

noun

1. a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession.

   to show poise in company.

   Synonyms:

   refinement, grace, polish, self-confidence

2. steadiness; stability.

   intellectual poise.

   Antonyms:

   instability

3. a state of balance or equilibrium, as from equality or equal distribution of weight; equipoise.

   Antonyms:

   imbalance, disequilibrium

4. suspense or wavering, as between rest and motion or two phases of motion.

   the poise of the tides.

5. the way of being poised, held, or carried.

6. the state or position of hovering.

   the poise of a bird in the air.

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verb (used with object)

poised, poising

1. to adjust, hold, or carry in equilibrium; balance evenly.

2. to hold supported or raised, as in position for casting, using, etc..

   to poise a spear.

3. to hold or carry in a particular manner.

   She walked, carefully poising a water jug on her head.

4. to put (a person or thing) in a state or position of readiness or preparedness: The mayor is credited with poising the city for impressive growth and development.

   He has poised himself to succeed.

   The mayor is credited with poising the city for impressive growth and development.

5. Obsolete. to weigh.

verb (used without object)

poised, poising

1. to rest in equilibrium; be balanced.

2. to hover, as a bird in the air.

poise ² American  

[pwahz] / pwɑz /

noun

Physics.

1. a centimeter-gram-second unit of viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in which a stress of one dyne per square centimeter is required to maintain a difference of velocity of one centimeter per second between two parallel planes in the fluid that lie in the direction of flow and are separated by a distance of one centimeter. P

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poise ¹ British  

/ pɔɪz /

noun

1. composure or dignity of manner

2. physical balance or assurance in movement or bearing

3. the state of being balanced or stable; equilibrium; stability

4. the position of hovering

5. suspense or indecision

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verb

1. to be or cause to be balanced or suspended

2. (tr) to hold, as in readiness

   to poise a lance

3. (tr) a rare word for weigh 1

poise ² British  

/ pɔɪz, pwɑːz /

noun

1.  P.  the cgs unit of viscosity; the viscosity of a fluid in which a tangential force of 1 dyne per square centimetre maintains a difference in velocity of 1 centimetre per second between two parallel planes 1 centimetre apart. It is equivalent to 0.1 newton second per square metre

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poise Scientific  

/ poiz,pwäz /

1. The unit of dynamic viscosity in the centimeter-gram-second system, equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter, or 0.1 pascal-seconds.

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Etymology

Origin of poise¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun pois(e) “weight,” from Old French ( French poids ), from Late Latin pēnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin pendere “to weigh”; Middle English verb poisen “to weigh,” from Old French poiser, variant, based on tonic stem, of peser, from Latin pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere

Origin of poise²

First recorded in 1910–15; from French; named after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799–1869), French physician

Example Sentences

But beneath that poise lie challenges far heavier than night shifts or 10-round fights.

From BBC

With their nets at the ready, tens of thousands of fishermen were poised to take part in a traditional festival in northern Nigeria last weekend after a six-year break due to Covid and security concerns.

From BBC

Among the midfield runners, who are in the region of at least a second a lap slower than the big four, the team poised to make the biggest step seem to be Alpine.

From BBC

Fresh from a decision at the nation’s highest court, the matter appears poised to fall to other courts and a key agency for a resolution.

From MarketWatch

Markets reopen on Tuesday in China after the Lunar New Year holiday, with equities action poised to catch up to a slew of announcements during the break.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aplomb
• calmness
• confidence
• elegance
• equanimity
• grace
• self-assurance
• serenity
• tact