equilibrium

Definitions

equi- (equal) + libr (balance, scales) + -ium = 'a state of equal balance.' Picture a pair of scales hanging perfectly level: opposing weights cancel and nothing tips. The image carries from physics into chemistry, the body's sense of balance, and emotional steadiness. (libr is marked separately.)

Why It Means This

Equilibrium fuses two pictures: equ (evenness) and libra (a weighing scale). The result is the precise point where opposing forces cancel out and the system holds still. That is why it spreads so easily — chemical equilibrium, market equilibrium, an inner ear that keeps your equilibrium, and the emotional equilibrium of a person who isn't thrown off balance.

Common Collocations

• 1.in equilibrium处于平衡
• 2.reach equilibrium达到平衡
• 3.maintain equilibrium维持平衡
• 4.restore equilibrium恢复平衡
• 5.thermal equilibrium热平衡

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The market eventually reached a price equilibrium.

• 2.

  An inner-ear infection can upset your sense of equilibrium.

• 3.

  She quickly regained her emotional equilibrium after the shock.