poise
noun/pɔɪz/
/pɔɪz/
[uncountable]- a calm and confident manner with control of your feelings or behaviour
- His performance was full of maturity and poise.
- She seemed embarrassed for a moment but quickly recovered her poise.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc2- She never lost her social poise, however awkward the situation.
- He struggled to retain his poise.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- natural
- social
- extraordinary
- …
- retain
- show
- lose
- …
- the ability to move or stand in an attractive way with good control of your body
- the natural poise and balance of the body
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- natural
- social
- extraordinary
- …
- retain
- show
- lose
- …
Word Originlate 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 sense of ‘equal weight, balance’, leading to the extended senses ‘composure’ and ‘elegant bearing’.
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poise