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balanced

 [bal-uhnst]   Origin

bal·anced

   [bal-uhnst]
adjective
1.
being in harmonious or proper arrangement or adjustment, proportion, etc.
2.
Football. pertaining to or noting an offensive line formation having three linemen on each side of the center. Compare unbalanced (def. 5).
Origin:
1585–95; balance + -ed2

Related forms
self-bal·anced, adjective

Synonyms
1. fair, equitable, just, impartial, evenhanded.

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Balanced is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

bal·ance

   [bal-uhns] noun, verb, -anced, -anc·ing.
noun
1.
a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.
2.
something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.
3.
mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.
4.
a state of bodily equilibrium: He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.
5.
an instrument for determining weight, typically by the equilibrium of a bar with a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a scale or pan, one holding an object of known weight, and the other holding the object to be weighed.
EXPAND
6.
the remainder or rest: He carried what he could and left the balance for his brother to bring.
7.
the power or ability to decide an outcome by throwing one's strength, influence, support, or the like, to one side or the other.
8.
(in winemaking) the degree to which all the attributes of a wine are in harmony, with none either too prominent or deficient.
9.
Accounting.
a.
equality between the totals of the two sides of an account.
b.
the difference between the debit total and the credit total of an account.
c.
unpaid difference represented by the excess of debits over credits.
10.
an adjustment of accounts.
11.
the act of balancing; comparison as to weight, amount, importance, etc.; estimate.
12.
preponderating weight: The balance of the blame is on your side.
13.
Fine Arts. composition or placement of elements of design, as figures, forms, or colors, in such a manner as to produce an aesthetically pleasing or harmoniously integrated whole.
14.
Dance. a balancing movement.
15.
Also called balance wheel. Horology. a wheel that oscillates against the tension of a hairspring to regulate the beats of a watch or clock.
16.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of libra; Scales.
17.
Audio. (in a stereophonic sound system) the comparative loudness of two speakers, usually set by a control (balance control) on the amplifier or receiver.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
18.
to bring to or hold in equilibrium; poise: to balance a book on one's head.
19.
to arrange, adjust, or proportion the parts of symmetrically.
20.
to be equal or proportionate to: I'm always happy when cash on hand balances expected expenses. One side of an equation must balance the other.
21.
Accounting.
a.
to add up the two sides of (an account) and determine the difference.
b.
to make the necessary entries in (an account) so that the sums of the two sides will be equal.
c.
to settle by paying what remains due on an account; equalize or adjust.
22.
to weigh in a balance.
EXPAND
23.
to estimate the relative weight or importance of; compare: to balance all the probabilities of a situation.
24.
to serve as a counterpoise to; counterbalance; offset: The advantages more than balance the disadvantages.
25.
Dance. to move in rhythm to and from: to balance one's partner.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
26.
to have an equality or equivalence in weight, parts, etc.; be in equilibrium: The account doesn't balance. Do these scales balance?
27.
Accounting. to reckon or adjust accounts.
28.
to waver or hesitate: He would balance and temporize endlessly before reaching a decision.
29.
Dance. to move forward and backward or in opposite directions.
Idioms
30.
in the balance, with the outcome in doubt or suspense: While the jury deliberated, his fate rested in the balance.
31.
on balance, considering all aspects: On balance, the new product is doing well.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English balaunce < Anglo-French; Old French balance < Vulgar Latin *balancia, variant of *bilancia, equivalent to Late Latin bilanc- (stem of bilanx with double scales; Latin bi- bi-1 + lanx metal dish, pan of a pair of scales) + -ia -ia

Related forms
bal·ance·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
3. poise, composure. 6. See remainder. 13. See symmetry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To balanced
Collins
World English Dictionary
balanced (ˈbælənst)
 
—adj
1.  having weight evenly distributed; being in a state of equilibrium
2.  (of a person) mentally and emotionally stable
3.  (of a discussion, programme, etc) presenting opposing points of view fairly and without bias
4.  (of a diet) consisting of all essential nutrients in suitable form and amounts to maintain health
5.  (of a budget) having expenditure no greater than income
6.  electronics (of signals or circuitry) symmetrically disposed about earth or other reference potential
7.  (of a chemical equation) having the correct relative number of moles of reactants and products

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

balance
late 13c., "apparatus for weighing," from O.Fr. balance (12c.) "balance, scales for weighing," also in the figurative sense; from M.L. bilancia, from L.L. bilanx (acc. bilancem), from L. (libra) bilanx "(scale) having two pans," possibly from L. bis "twice" + lanx "dish, plate, scale of a balance." The
EXPAND
accounting sense is from 1580s; the meaning "general harmony between parts" is from 1732; sense of "physical equipoise" is from 1660s. The verb is attested from 1570s. Balance of power in the geopolitical sense is from 1701; balanced meal, diet, etc. is from 1908.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

balance bal·ance (bāl'əns)
n.

  1. A weighing device, especially one consisting of a rigid beam horizontally suspended by a low-friction support at its center, with identical weighing pans hung at either end, one of which holds an unknown weight while the effective weight in the other is increased by known amounts until the beam is level and motionless.

  2. A state of bodily equilibrium.

  3. The difference in magnitude between opposing forces or influences, such as for bodily parts or organs.

  4. Equality of mass and net electric charge of reacting species on each side of a chemical equation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
balance   (bāl'əns)  Pronunciation Key 
To adjust a chemical equation so that the number of each type of atom and the total charge on the reactant (left-hand) side of the equation matches the number and charge on the product (right-hand) side of the equation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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