Link Centre Dictionary

ballast

bal·last

US/ˈbæl.əst/ uncommon
noun (5) verb (1)

noun

1.

any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship

2.

coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads

3.

an attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings

4.

a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations)

Synonyms
5.

verb

1.

Origin

From Middle English bar (“bare”) + last (“load”).

Phrases

  • ballast car
  • ballast resistor
  • ballast tank
  • ballast up
  • ballast wagon
  • in ballast
  • in ballast condition
  • success ballast
  • water ballast

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.