Balance

bal′ans, n. an instrument for weighing, usually formed of two dishes or scales hanging from a beam supported in the middle: act of weighing two things: equality or just proportion of weight or power, as the balance of power: the sum required to make the two sides of an account equal, hence the surplus, or the sum due on an account: what is needed to produce equilibrium, a counterpoise: ( watchmaking ) a contrivance which regulates the speed of a clock or watch.— v.t. to weigh in a balance: to counterpoise: to compare: to settle, as an account, to examine and test accounts in book-keeping, to make the debtor and creditor sides of an account agree.— v.i. to have equal weight or power, .: to hesitate or fluctuate.— p.adj. Bal′anced , poised so as to preserve equilibrium: well arranged, stable.— ns. Bal′ancer , an acrobat; Bal′ance-sheet , a sheet of paper showing a summary and balance of accounts; Bal′ance-wheel , a wheel in a watch or chronometer which regulates the beat or rate. [Fr.—L. bilanx , having two scales— bis , double, lanx , lancis , a dish or scale.]