Word for the day: scale

scale 1 |skeɪl|                                                                *escama (en Español)
DEFINITIONnoun1 each of the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another.2 something resembling a fish scale in appearance or function, in particular:• a thick dry flake of skin.• a rudimentary leaf, feather, or bract.• each of numerous microscopic tile-like structures covering the wings of butterflies and moths.3 [ mass noun ] a flaky deposit, in particular:• a white deposit formed in a kettle, boiler, etc. by the evaporation of water containing lime.• tartar formed on teeth.• a coating of oxide formed on heated metal.Botany

verb1 [ with obj. ] remove scale or scales from: he scales the fish and removes the innards.• remove tartar from (teeth) by scraping them.2 [ no obj. ] (often as nounscaling)(especially of the skin) form scales:moisturizers can ease off drying and scaling.• come off in scales or thin pieces; flake off:the paint was scaling from the brick walls.
PHRASESthe scales fall from someone's eyessomeone is no longer deceived.[with biblical reference to Acts 9:18.]
DERIVATIVESscaled adjective [ often in combination ] : a rough-scaled fish,scaleless |ˈskeɪllɪs|adjective,scaler noun
ORIGIN Middle English: shortening of Old French escale, from the Germanic base of scale2.

scale 2 |skeɪl|                                                                   *báscula (en Español)
DEFINITIONnoun1 (usu. scales) an instrument for weighing, originally a simple balance (a pair of scales) but now usually a device with an electronic or other internal weighing mechanism.• (also scale pan )either of the dishes on a simple balance.• (the Scales) the zodiacal sign or constellation Libra.2 S. African a large drinking container for beer or other alcoholic drink.

verbweigh a specified weight: some men scaled less than ninety pounds.
PHRASESthrow something on (or into ) the scalecontribute something to one side of an argument or debate.tip (or turn ) the scales.
ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense‘drinking cup’, surviving in South African English): from Old Norse skál ‘bowl’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schaal,German Schale ‘bowl’, also to English dialect shale ‘dish’.

scale 3 |skeɪl|                                                                *escala (en Español)
DEFINITION                                   noun1 a graduated range of values forming a standard system for measuring or grading something: company employees have hit the top of their pay scales.• the full range of different levels of people or things, from lowest to highest: two men at opposite ends of the social scale | at the other end of the scale, premiership clubs are forced to pay huge wages.• a series of marks at regular intervals in a line used in measuring something: the mean delivery time is plotted against a scale on the right.• a device having a series of marks at regular intervals for measuring: she read the exact distance off a scale.• a rule determining the distances between marks on a scale: the vertical axis is given on a logarithmic scale.2 [ in sing. ] the relative size or extent of something: no one foresaw the scale of the disaster | everything in the house is on a grand scale .• [ often as modifier ] a ratio of size in a map, model, drawing, or plan: a one-fifth scale model of a seven-storey building | an Ordnance map on a scale of 1:2500.3 Music an arrangement of the notes in any system of music in ascending or descending order of pitch: the scale of C major.4 (in full scale of notation ) Mathematics a system of numerical notation in which the value of a digit depends upon its position in the number, successive positions representing successive powers of a fixed base: the conversion of the number to the binary scale.5 Photography the range of exposures over which a photographic material will give an acceptable variation in density.

verb [ with obj. ]1 climb up or over (something high and steep): thieves scaled a high fence.2 represent in proportional dimensions; reduce or increase in size according to a common scale: (as adj.scaled) : scaled plans of the house.• [ no obj. ] (of a quantity or property) be variable according to a particular scale.3 N. Amer.estimate the amount of timber that will be produced from (a log or uncut tree).
PHRASESplay (or sing or practise ) scales Musicperform the notes of a scale as an exercise for the fingers or voice.to scale with a uniform reduction or enlargement: it is hard to build models to scale from a drawing.in scale (of a drawing or model) in proportion to the surroundings.
PHRASAL VERBSscale something back/down (or up)reduce (or increase) something in size, number, or extent: manufacturing capacity has been scaled down.
DERIVATIVESscaler noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latinscala ‘ladder’ (the verb via Old Frenchescaler or medieval Latin scalare ‘climb’), from the base of Latin scandere ‘to climb’.

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