The Collaborative International Dictionary
Counterpoise \Coun"ter*poise`\ (koun"t?r-poiz`; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counterpoised (-poizd`); p. pr. & vb. n. Counterpoising.] [OE. countrepesen, counterpeisen, F. contrepeser. See Counter, adv., and Poise, v. t. ]
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To act against with equal weight; to equal in weight; to balance the weight of; to counterbalance.
Weights, counterpoising one another.
--Sir K. Digby. -
To act against with equal power; to balance.
So many freeholders of English will be able to beard and counterpoise the rest.
--Spenser.
Wiktionary
vb. (en-past of: counterpoise)
WordNet
adj. brought into equipoise by means of a weight or force that offsets another [syn: counterbalanced]
Usage examples of "counterpoised".
The specialists would grow to be intolerable, were they not counterpoised to some degree by the people of general intelligence.
Everything they did lay counterpoised by the disaster awaiting them at the slightest misstep.
Everything they did lay counterpoised by the disaster awaiting them at the slightest misstep.
The wry lift at the corners of his mouth counterpoised the dark heat of his orbs as he said, "Can you believe it?