scale

Use scale in a sentence

A woman weighs herself on a bathroom scale.

noun

The definition of a scale is an outer protective layer made up of flat, rigid, overlapping plates.
An example of scale is the skin of a fish.
Scale is defined as a system or series of marks used for measuring or registering.
1. An example of scale is what someone would use to figure out the length of something.
2. An example of scale is what someone would use to find out how much they weigh.

verb

Scale means to climb up something or to remove in thin layers.
1. An example of scale is rock climbing.
2. An example of scale is to remove the outside layer of rigid, overlapping plates on a fish.

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scale. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale

scale

Obs.
1. a ladder or flight of stairs
2. any means of ascent
1. a series of marks along a line, at regular or graduated intervals, used in measuring or registering something: the scale of a thermometer
2. any instrument or ruler marked in this manner
1. the proportion that a map, model, etc. bears to the thing that it represents; ratio between the dimensions of a representation and those of the object: a scale of one inch to a mile
2. a line marked off on a map to indicate this ratio or proportion
1. a system of grouping or classifying in a series of steps or degrees according to a standard of relative size, amount, rank, etc.: the social scale, a wage scale
2. a progressive graduated series, as of psychological or educational tests or scores
3. a point, grade, level, or degree in such a series
4. any relative degree or extent: winter storm damage on a large scale
Math. a system of numerical notation: the binary scale
Music a series of tones arranged in a sequence of rising or falling pitches in accordance with any of various systems of intervals; esp., all of such a series contained in one octave

Origin of scale

Middle English from Late Latin scala (in Vulgate , Jacob's ladder) from L, usually as plural , scalae, flight of stairs, ladder from an unverified form scandsla from scandere, to climb: see descend

transitive verb

scaled, scal′ing

1. to climb up or over; go up by or as by a ladder or by clambering
2. to reach or surmount (specified heights)
to regulate, make, or set according to a scale
to measure by or as by a scale
to estimate the amount of lumber that will be yielded by (a log, tree, etc.)

to climb; go up
to go up in a graduated series

scale Idioms

scale back

scale down (see phrase below)

scale down (or up)

to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion

to scale

according to established, proportional dimensions: a toy fighter plane built to scale

Origin of scale

see scalenoun

any of the thin, flat, overlapping, rigid, horny plates forming the outer protective covering of the body in many fishes and reptiles and of the tails of a few mammals
any of the structurally similar thin plates on birds' legs or certain insects' wings
1. the single, round plate secreted by a scale insect
2. scale insect
any thin, flaky or platelike layer or piece, as of dry skin, mail armor, etc.
a flaky film of oxide that forms on heated or rusted metals
a coating that forms on the inside of boilers, kettles, or other metal containers that heat liquids
any greatly reduced scalelike leaf or bract; esp., such a modified leaf covering and protecting the bud of a seed plant

Origin of scale

ME, aphetic from Old French escale, husk, shell ( from Frankish skala) and escaille, shell ( from Gothic skalja): both from Germanic an unverified form skalja, something split off from Indo-European base an unverified form (s)kel-, to cut from source shell, half

transitive verb

scaled, scal′ing

to strip or scrape scales from
to remove in thin layers; pare down
to cause scales to form on; cover with scales
to throw (a thin, flat object) so that its edge cuts the air or so that it skips along the surface of water
Dentistry to remove (tartar) from the teeth with a sharp instrument

to flake or peel off in scales
to become covered with scale or scales

either of the shallow dishes or pans of a balance
[often pl.]
1. balance (sense )
2. any weighing machine

Origin of scale

Middle English from Old Norse sk?l, bowl, weighing balance; akin to Old High German scala, Old English scealu, shell: see scale

transitive verb

scaled, scal′ing

to weigh in scales
to have a weight of

to be weighed

scale Idioms

the Scales

Libra, the constellation and seventh sign of the Zodiac

tip the scales

to give an advantage to one possible outcome over another

Origin of scale

see tip

tip the scales at

to weigh (a specified amount)

Origin of scale

see tip

turn the scales

to determine or decide something uncertain: the arrival of fresh troops turned the scales

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"scale." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale>.

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scale. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale

scale

noun

a. One of the many small hard dermal or epidermal structures that characteristically form the external covering of fishes and reptiles and certain mammals, such as pangolins.
b. A similar part in other animals, such as one of the thin flat overlapping structures that cover the wings of butterflies and moths.
A small, thin, often flattened plant structure, such as one of the modified leaves that cover a tree bud or one of the structures that bear the reproductive organs on the cones of a conifer.
a. A dry thin flake of epidermis shed from the skin.
b. A skin lesion or lesions marked by such flakes.
a. A scale insect.
b. A plant disease or infestation caused by scale insects.
a. A flaky oxide film formed on a metal, as on iron, that has been heated to high temperatures.
b. A flake of rust.
A hard mineral coating that forms on the inside surface of boilers, kettles, and other containers in which water is repeatedly heated.

verb

scaled, scal·ing, scales

verb

transitive

To clear or strip of scale or scales: Scale and clean the fish.
To remove in layers or scales: scaled off the old paint.
To cover with scales; encrust.
To throw or propel (a thin flat object) through the air or along a surface, such as water or ice.
Dentistry To remove (tartar) from tooth surfaces with a pointed instrument.
Australian
a. To cheat; swindle.
b. To ride on (a tram, for example) without paying the fare.

verb

intransitive

To come off in scales or layers; flake.
To become encrusted.

Origin of scale

Middle English from Old French escale husk, shell influenced in meaning by Old French escaille scale of a fish or reptile ( both of Germanic origin; see skel-¹ in Indo-European roots.)

Related Forms:

scale′like
adjective

scale¹

cone of a white pine

noun

a. A system of ordered marks at fixed intervals used as a reference standard in measurement: a ruler whose scale is in inches.
b. An instrument or device bearing such marks.
c. A standard of measurement or judgment; a criterion.
a. A proportion used in determining the dimensional relationship of a representation to that which it represents: a world map with a scale of 1:4,560,000.
b. A calibrated line, as on a map or an architectural plan, indicating such a proportion.
c. Proper proportion: a house that seemed out of scale with its surroundings.
A progressive classification, as of size, amount, importance, or rank: judging divers' performances on a scale of 1 to 10.
A relative level or degree: entertained on a lavish scale.
A minimum wage fixed by contract: musicians playing a benefit concert for scale.
Mathematics A system of notation in which the values of numerical expressions are determined by their places relative to the chosen base of the system: the decimal scale.
Music An ascending or descending collection of pitches proceeding by a specified scheme of intervals.

verb

scaled, scal·ing, scales

verb

transitive

To climb up or over; ascend: scaled the peak.
To make in accord with a particular proportion or scale: Scale the model to be one tenth of actual size.
To alter according to a standard or by degrees; adjust in calculated amounts: scaled down their demands; scaled back the scheduled pay increase.
To estimate or measure the quantity of lumber in (logs or uncut trees).

verb

intransitive

To climb; ascend.
To rise in steps or stages.

Origin of scale

Middle English from Latin scālae ladder ; see skand- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

scal′a·ble
adjective

noun

An instrument or machine for weighing.
a. often scales See balance.
b. Either of the pans, trays, or dishes of a balance.

verb

scaled, scal·ing, scales

verb

transitive

To weigh with a scale.

verb

intransitive

To have a given weight, as determined by a scale: cargo that scales 11 tons.

Origin of scale

Middle English bowl, balance from Old Norse skāl ; see skel-¹ in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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scale. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale

One of the small thin plates forming the outer covering of fish, reptiles, and certain other animals.
A similar part, such as one of the minute structures overlapping to form the covering on the wings of butterflies and moths.
A small, thin, usually dry plant part, such as one of the protective leaves that cover a tree bud or one of the structures that contain the reproductive organs on the cones of a conifer.
A plant disease caused by scale insects.

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scale. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale

Noun

(plural scales)

An ordered numerical sequence used for measurement.
Please rate your experience on a scale from 1 to 10.
Size; scope.
The Holocaust was insanity on an enormous scale.
There are some who question the scale of our ambitions.
The ratio of depicted distance to actual distance.
This map uses a scale of 1:10.
A line or bar associated with a drawing, used to indicate measurement when the image has been magnified or reduced
A means of assigning a magnitude.
The magnitude of an earthquake is measured on the open-ended Richter scale.
(music) A series of notes spanning an octave, tritave, or pseudo-octave, used to make melodies.
A mathematical base for a numeral system.
the decimal scale; the binary scale
Gradation; succession of ascending and descending steps and degrees; progressive series; scheme of comparative rank or order.

Hyponyms

(music): tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading note, octave interval

Verb

(third-person singular simple present scales, present participle scaling, simple past and past participle scaled)

To change the size of something whilst maintaining proportion; especially to change a process in order to produce much larger amounts of the final product.
We should scale that up by a factor of 10.
To climb to the top of.
Hilary and Norgay were the first known to have scaled Everest.
(intransitive, computing) To tolerate significant increases in throughput or other potentially limiting factors.
That architecture won't scale to real-world environments.
To weigh, measure or grade according to a scale or system.

Related terms

scale back
scale down

Origin

From Latin scÄla, usually in plural scÄlae (“a flight of steps, stairs, staircase, ladder"), for *scadla, from scandÅ (“I climb"); see scan, ascend, descend, etc.

Noun

(plural scales)

Part of an overlapping arrangement of many small, flat and hard pieces of keratin covering the skin of an animal, particularly a fish or reptile.
A small piece of pigmented chitin, many of which coat the wings of a butterfly or moth to give them their color.
A flake of skin of an animal afflicted with dermatitis.
A pine nut of a pinecone.
The flaky material sloughed off heated metal.
Scale mail (as opposed to chain mail).
Limescale
A scale insect
The thin metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present scales, present participle scaling, simple past and past participle scaled)

To remove the scales of.
Please scale that fish for dinner.
(intransitive) To become scaly; to produce or develop scales.
The dry weather is making my skin scale.
To strip or clear of scale; to descale.
to scale the inside of a boiler
To take off in thin layers or scales, as tartar from the teeth; to pare off, as a surface.
(intransitive) To separate and come off in thin layers or laminae.
Some sandstone scales by exposure.
(UK, Scotland, dialect) To scatter; to spread.
To clean, as the inside of a cannon, by the explosion of a small quantity of powder.

Origin

From Middle English scale, from Old French escale, from Frankish or another Old High German source skala /scÄla. Cognate with Old English scealu (“shell, husk") (See shale and shell). compare French Ã©cale, Ã©caille, Italian scaglia.

Noun

(plural scales)

A device to measure mass or weight.
After the long, lazy winter I was afraid to get on the scale.
Either of the pans, trays, or dishes of a balance or scales.

Usage notes

The noun is often used in the plural to denote a single device (originally a pair of scales had two pans).

Origin

From Old Norse skÃ¡l (“bowl"). Compare Danish skÃ¥l (“bowl, cup"), Dutch schaal; German Schale; Old High German scÄla; Gothic skalja (skalja), Old English scealu (“cup; shell"). Cognate with scale, as in Etymology 2.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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scale - Computer Definition

(1) To resize a device, object or system. With regard to increases, "scale vertically" or "scale up" refers to expanding a single machine's capability. To "scale horizontally" or "scale out" refers to adding more machines. With regard to decreases, the term is often used with cutting-edge chip technologies. For example, "this memory scales with CMOS" means that the memory architecture takes advantage of the increasing miniaturization in CMOS chip fabrication by becoming smaller as well. See at scale, upconvert and scalable.

(2) To increase. The term is widely used to refer to expanding a system, quite often a website or Web-based application that is quickly gaining popularity. See at scale, blitzscaling, scalable and scaler.

(3) To move with. The phrase "the image scales with the window" means that as an on-screen window is dragged by the user to a larger or smaller frame size, the image inside continuously expands or contracts to fit the changing frame.

(4) To change the representation of a quantity in order to bring it into prescribed limits of another range. For example, values such as 1249, 876, 523, -101 and -234 might need to be scaled into a range from -5 to +5.

(5) To designate the position of the decimal point in a fixed or floating point number.

(6) To increase or decrease the size of a digital image.

(7) A large size. For example, the "efficiencies of scale" means the economies derived from expansion.

Scaling Up and Down

Enlarging an image adds pixels, and quality software can produce a decent result for small increases. However, no matter how good the algorithms, a large increase softens the new image. In addition, the original sharpness cannot be brought back as this pixel example shows. See dithering.

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.

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scale - Medical Definition

1. One of the many small hard dermal or epidermal structures that characteristically form the external covering of fishes and reptiles and certain mammals, such as pangolins.
2. A similar part in other animals, such as one of the thin flat overlapping structures that cover the wings of butterflies and moths.
1. A dry thin flake of epidermis shed from the skin.
2. A skin lesion or lesions marked by such flakes.

To come off in scales or layers; flake.
Dentistry To remove tartar from tooth surfaces with a pointed instrument.

Related Forms:

scale′like
adj.

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scale. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Scale

scale

scale

scale

scale - Computer Definition

scale - Medical Definition

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scale

scale

scale

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scale - Medical Definition

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