EQUILIBRIUM (equilibria)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: equilibria   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does equilibrium mean? 

• EQUILIBRIUM (noun)
  The noun EQUILIBRIUM has 4 senses:

1. a stable situation in which forces cancel one another

2. a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates

3. equality of distribution

4. a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

  Familiarity information: EQUILIBRIUM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EQUILIBRIUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A stable situation in which forces cancel one another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("equilibrium" is a kind of...):

situation; state of affairs (the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "equilibrium"):

balance (a state of equilibrium)

balance of power (an equilibrium of power between nations)

dynamic balance ((aeronautics) the state of equilibrium in which centrifugal forces due to a rotating mass (e.g., a propeller) do not produce force in the shaft and so vibration is reduced)

homeostasis ((physiology) metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes)

isostasy ((geology) a general equilibrium of the forces tending to elevate or depress the earth's crust)

Nash equilibrium ((game theory) a stable state of a system that involves several interacting participants in which no participant can gain by a change of strategy as long as all the other participants remain unchanged)

poise (a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium)

thermal equilibrium (a state in which all parts of a system are at the same temperature)

Antonym:

disequilibrium (loss of equilibrium attributable to an unstable situation in which some forces outweigh others)

Derivation:

equilibrate (bring to a chemical stasis or equilibrium)

equilibrate; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

chemical equilibrium; equilibrium

Hypernyms ("equilibrium" is a kind of...):

chemical reaction; reaction ((chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "equilibrium"):

acid-base balance; acid-base equilibrium ((physiology) the normal equilibrium between acids and alkalis in the body)

Derivation:

equilibrate (bring to a chemical stasis or equilibrium)

equilibrate (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Equality of distribution

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

balance; counterbalance; equilibrium; equipoise

Hypernyms ("equilibrium" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "equilibrium"):

conformation (a symmetrical arrangement of the parts of a thing)

proportion; symmetry (balance among the parts of something)

Derivation:

equilibrate (bring to a chemical stasis or equilibrium)

equilibrate; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

equilibrium; labyrinthine sense; sense of balance; sense of equilibrium; vestibular sense

Hypernyms ("equilibrium" is a kind of...):

proprioception (the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts)

Derivation:

equilibrate (bring into balance or equilibrium)

 Context examples 

Because of this equilibrium, scientists can calculate the amount of vapor where ice is present.

(Scientists Find 'Impossible' Cloud on Titan, NASA)

The equilibrium phase is defined as the time period in which the contrast medium has reached a stable equilibrium within the body tissues.

(Equilibrium Phase Spiral CT, NCI Thesaurus)

The team is particularly interested in the outermost planet, TOI 270 d. The team estimates the planet’s equilibrium temperature to be about 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees C).

(NASA’s TESS Mission Scores ‘Hat Trick’ With 3 New Worlds, NASA)

I tottered, and on regaining my equilibrium retired back a step or two from his chair.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The portion of the brain located at the base of the skull that is responsible for balance, equilibrium and movement.

(Cerebellum, NCI Thesaurus)

Bistability refers to the origami pattern's ability to find a resting equilibrium in two different states.

(Saddle-shaped origami enables new microelectronic applications, National Science Foundation)

Any of the processes involved in the maintenance of an internal equilibrium of cholesterol within an organism or cell.

(Cholesterol Homeostasis, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent acts as an inverse agonist that combines with, and stabilizes the inactive form of the H1-receptor, shifting the H1 receptor equilibrium toward the inactive state.

(Doxylamine, NCI Thesaurus)

Every part, brain and body, nerve tissue and fibre, was keyed to the most exquisite pitch; and between all the parts there was a perfect equilibrium or adjustment.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

All his weight was on one foot, and he was in a state of unstable equilibrium.

(White Fang, by Jack London)