Other

poise1

Syllabification: (poise)

Pronunciation: /poiz/

Translate poise | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of poise

noun

1graceful and elegant bearing in a person:poise and good deportment can be cultivated
composure and dignity of manner:at least he had a moment to think, to recover his poise

2 archaic balance; equilibrium.

verb

be or cause to be balanced or suspended: [no object]:he poised motionless on his toes [with object]: figurativethe world was poised between peace and war
(be poised) (of a person or organization) be ready to do something: [with infinitive]:teachers are poised to resume their attack on government school tests

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'weight'): from Old French pois, peis (noun), peser (verb), from an alteration of Latin pensum 'weight', from the verb pendere 'weigh'. From the early senses of 'weight' and 'measure of weight' arose the notion of 'equal weight, balance', leading to the extended senses 'composure' and 'elegant bearing'

poise in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of poise in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

More results for poise

Subscriber login

Library card login