poise
verb/pɔɪz/
/pɔɪz/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they poise | /pɔɪz/ /pɔɪz/ |
| he / she / it poises | /ˈpɔɪzɪz/ /ˈpɔɪzɪz/ |
| past simple poised | /pɔɪzd/ /pɔɪzd/ |
| past participle poised | /pɔɪzd/ /pɔɪzd/ |
| -ing form poising | /ˈpɔɪzɪŋ/ /ˈpɔɪzɪŋ/ |
- to be or hold something steady in a particular position, especially above something else
- + adv./prep. The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop.
- poise something/yourself to do something He was poising himself to launch a final attack.
- poise something/yourself + adv./prep. She poised the javelin in her hand before the throw.
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’.Want to learn more?
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