counterpoise

/ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪz/

counterpoise means A weight sufficient to balance another, for example in the opposite end of scales; an equal weight. It carries an Arena rating of 1949, earned across 58 head-to-head judged battles.

Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, counterpoise ranks #27 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #679 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #981 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,923 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.

counterpoise is pronounced /ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪz/.

Why “counterpoise” is a great word

COUNTERPOISE — [Noun, Verb] A weight or force that balances another; to offset with an equal weight or force. From Old French contrepois ("counterweight"), from contre- ("counter-") + pois ("weight"), later assimilated to the English word poise. First attested in English in the late 14th to early 15th century. Unlike "counterweight," which denotes a specific physical mass, or "equipoise," which suggests a serene, static balance, counterpoise implies the active exertion of an opposing force to achieve stability. It is the sandbag laid in the bow of a skiff, the quiet rebuttal that checks a heated argument, the grounding memory that tempers a moment of pure joy—the necessary tension from which all equilibrium is strung.

Etymology

From Old French contrepois, contrepeser, later assimilated to poise.

noun

A weight sufficient to balance another, for example in the opposite end of scales; an equal weight.
An effect of equal power or force acting in opposition; a force sufficient to balance another force or influencee.g.“This necessary counterpoise, the affectionate and simple-minded will readily conceive, would arise to Louisa from the absence of those "dear familiar faces" which had hitherto constituted her world.” — 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 200:
The relation of two weights or forces which balance each other; equilibrium

verb

To act against with equal weight; to equal in weight; to balance the weight of; to counterbalance.e.g.“Weights, counterpoising one another.” — 1644, Kenelme [i.e., Kenelm] Digby, Two Treatises. In the One of which, the Nature of Bodies; in the Other, the Nature of Mans Soule; is Looked into: In Way of Discovery, of the Immortality of Reasona
To act against with equal power; to balance.e.g.“So many freeholders of English […]will be able to beard, and to counterpoise the rest.” — 1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], →OCLC; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Anc

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

counterweigh 77% match — To act as counterbalance (against something). vs counterpoise →
counterbalance 73% match — A weight that is put in opposition to an equal weight so it keeps that in balance. vs counterpoise →
equiponderate 71% match — To counterbalance. vs counterpoise →
counterpiece 70% match — A piece or component that serves to counterbalance another. vs counterpoise →
counterpose 67% match — To act as a counterweight. vs counterpoise →
counterbalancing 67% match — The act by which something is counterbalanced. vs counterpoise →
counterweight 66% match — A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect the raising and lowering. Counterweights are used, for example, in cable-hauled elevators and some kinds of movable bridges (e.g. a bascule bridge). vs counterpoise →
counterpressure 64% match — Pressure applied in one direction to counterbalance pressure from another. vs counterpoise →