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EQUILIBRIUM
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Irregular inflected form: equilibria
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head
Synonyms:
equilibrium; labyrinthine sense; sense of balance; sense of equilibrium; vestibular sense
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
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)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates
Synonyms:
chemical equilibrium; equilibrium
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
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
Synonyms:
balance; counterbalance; equilibrium; equipoise
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
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 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)
Context examples:
The relaxation rate of the net nuclear spin polarization in the direction of the magnetic field of a spectrometer back to its equilibrium value.
(Longitudinal Relaxation Rate, NCI Thesaurus)
The time it takes for the net nuclear spin in the plane that is parallel to the magnetic field of a spectrometer to return to its equilibrium value.
(Longitudinal Relaxation Time, NCI Thesaurus)
The relations among the men, strained and made tense by feuds, quarrels and grudges, were in a state of unstable equilibrium, and evil passions flared up in flame like prairie-grass.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
Without an atmosphere, it has an equilibrium temperature of -64 F (-53 C), which would make the planet seem more glacial than habitable.
(Confirmation of Toasty TESS Planet Leads to Surprising Find of Promising World, NASA)
In biological systems the most important relationship is: G = RTln(Keq), where Keq is an equilibrium constant.
(Free Energy, NCI Thesaurus)
The process by which the equilibrium temperature of the earth is increased due to presence of gases in the atmosphere that absorb outgoing longwave radiation.
(Greenhouse effect, NOAA Paleoclimate Glossary)
In any organism health constitutes a form of homeostasis with inputs and outputs of energy and mass in approximate equilibrium allowing for growth and continued survival.
(Health, NCI Thesaurus)
Keeping a normal acid-base equilibrium is important for the body to work the way it should.
(Acid-base equilibrium, NCI Dictionary)
Centrifuge through a gradient until a substance reaches equilibrium
(Equilibrium Centrifugation, NCI Thesaurus)
Diffusion of elements works to get the crystal into chemical equilibrium with its surroundings.
(‘Crystal clocks’ used to time magma storage before volcanic eruptions, University of Cambridge)
