poised
AdjectiveWordNet 3.0
Adjective (2)
- marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action“a gull in poised flight”“George's poised hammer”
- in full control of your faculties“the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination”“perfectly poised and sure of himself”“more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen”“strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble”Synonyms: collectedequanimousself-collectedself-containedself-possessed
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Poise \Poise\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poised, ; p. pr. & vb. n. Poising.] [OE. poisen, peisen, OF. & F. peser, to weigh, balance, OF. il peise, il poise, he weighs, F. il p[`e]se, fr. L. pensare, v. intens. fr. pendere to weigh. See Poise, n., and cf. Pensive.] [Formerly written also peise.]
1.To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance. [1913 Webster]
2.To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance. [1913 Webster]
Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; Nor poised, did on her own foundation lie.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]
3.To counterpoise; to counterbalance. [1913 Webster]
One scale of reason to poise another of sensuality.— Shak.[1913 Webster]
To poise with solid sense a sprightly wit.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]
4.To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh. [1913 Webster]
He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence.— South.[1913 Webster]
5.To weigh (down); to oppress. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow.— Shak.[1913 Webster]
balanced \bal"anced\ adj. being in a state of proper balance or equilibrium; -- opposite of unbalanced. the carefully balanced seesaw a properly balanced symphony orchestra a balanced assessment of intellectual and cultural history a balanced blend of whiskeys the educated man shows a balanced development of all his powers [Narrower terms: counterbalanced, counter-balanced, counterpoised; well-balanced; poised] [Related terms: stable --- (maintaining equilibrium)] [WordNet 1.5]