Library / English Dictionary

POISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Great coolness and composure under strain

Example:

keep your cool

Synonyms:

aplomb; assuredness; cool; poise; sang-froid

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("poise" is a kind of...):

calm; calmness; composure; equanimity (steadiness of mind under stress)

Derivation:

poise (prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter; the viscosity of a fluid in which a force of one dyne per square centimeter maintains a velocity of 1 centimeter per second

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("poise" is a kind of...):

unit of viscosity (a unit of measurement for viscosity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("poise" is a kind of...):

equilibrium (a stable situation in which forces cancel one another)

Derivation:

poise (hold or carry in equilibrium)

poise (cause to be balanced or suspended)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold or carry in equilibrium

Synonyms:

balance; poise

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "poise" is one way to...):

bear; carry; hold (support or hold in a certain manner)

Verb group:

balance; equilibrate; equilibrise; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "poise"):

juggle (hold with difficulty and balance insecurely)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

poise (a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to be balanced or suspended

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "poise" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Cause:

balance; poise (hold or carry in equilibrium)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

poise (a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult

Synonyms:

brace; poise

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "poise" is one way to...):

fix; gear up; prepare; ready; set; set up (make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "poise"):

nerve; steel (get ready for something difficult or unpleasant)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

poise (great coolness and composure under strain)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be motionless, in suspension

Example:

The bird poised for a few moments before it attacked

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "poise" is one way to...):

hover (hang in the air; fly or be suspended above)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

Mechanism to fund current awardees whose research is going better than expected or who are poised to test new ideas.

(Administrative Supplement, NCI Thesaurus)

A high bald head had a small velvet smoking-cap poised coquettishly upon one side of its pink curve.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was no mistaking the poise of the head, the squareness of the shoulders, the sharpness of the features.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This magnet is sustained by a very strong axle of adamant passing through its middle, upon which it plays, and is poised so exactly that the weakest hand can turn it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Two international teams of scientists led by Tim Miller from Dalhousie University in Canada and Yale University in the US and Iván Oteo from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, have uncovered startlingly dense concentrations of galaxies that are poised to merge, forming the cores of what will eventually become colossal galaxy clusters.

(Ancient Galaxy Megamergers, ESO)

Indeed, his whole manner, with his short, sharp glance and the fine poise of the head, spoke of energy and alertness, so that he reminded me, if I may compare great things with small, of a well-bred fighting terrier, gentle and slim, but keen and ready for whatever chance might send.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I did so, not at first aware what was his intention; but when I saw him lift and poise the book and stand in act to hurl it, I instinctively started aside with a cry of alarm: not soon enough, however; the volume was flung, it hit me, and I fell, striking my head against the door and cutting it.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

John laughed, and watched her for a minute, as she poised a pretty little preparation of lace and flowers on her hand, and regarded it with the genuine interest which his harangue had failed to waken.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Merlin Burrows, which calls itself a land and sea search company specializing in finding forgotten or hidden things, is poised to release a documentary about what it says may finally be proof that Atlantis was real.

(Researchers Claim to Have Found Mythical City of Atlantis in Spain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Something of his birthplace seemed to cling to the man, and I never looked at his pale, keen face or the poise of his head without associating him with grey archways and mullioned windows and all the venerable wreckage of a feudal keep.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)