DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
E·qui·lib·ri·um n.; pl. E. Equilibriums L. Equilibria
1. Equality of weight or force; an equipoise or a state of rest produced by the mutual counteraction of two or more forces.
2. A level position; a just poise or balance in respect to an object, so that it remains firm; equipoise; as, to preserve the equilibrium of the body.
Health consists in the equilibrium between those two powers. --Arbuthnot.
3. A balancing of the mind between motives or reasons, with consequent indecision and doubt.
Equilibrium valve Steam Engine, a balanced valve. See under Valve.
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equilibrium
n 1: a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates
[syn: chemical equilibrium]
2: a stable situation in which forces cancel one another [ant:
disequilibrium]
3: equality of distribution [syn: balance, equipoise, counterbalance]
4: a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that
registers the orientation of the head [syn: labyrinthine
sense, vestibular sense, sense of balance, sense of
equilibrium]
[also: equilibria (pl)]