steelyard

American  

[steel-yahrd, stil-yerd] / ˈstilˌyɑrd, ˈstɪl yərd /

noun

1. a portable balance with two unequal arms, the longer one having a movable counterpoise and the shorter one bearing a hook or the like for holding the object to be weighed.

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steelyard British  

/ ˈstiːlˌjɑːd /

noun

1. a portable balance consisting of a pivoted bar with two unequal arms. The load is suspended from the shorter one and the bar is returned to the horizontal by adding weights to the longer one

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Etymology

Origin of steelyard

First recorded in 1630–40; steel + yard ¹

Example Sentences

One crane operator in a steelyard was James J. Braddock, world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937, when he lost the crown to Joe Louis.

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2014

It was the first substantial improvement in the art of weighing since the Romans developed the graduated steelyard.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bismar, bis′mar, n. a kind of steelyard still used in Orkney.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

On the beam of the steelyard are Roman numerals from X. to XXXX.; a V was placed for division between each X.; smaller divisions are also marked.

From Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life by Haines, T. L. (Thomas Louis)

It was a large apartment, full of piles of wood and fagots, with a steelyard on one side.

From Cuore (Heart) An Italian Schoolboy's Journal by Hapgood, Isabel Florence