SCALE

I. noun see: shell Date: 14th century 1. either pan or tray of a balance, a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends, an instrument or machine for weighing, II. verb (~d; scaling) Date: 1691 transitive verb to weigh in ~s, intransitive verb to have a specified weight on ~s, III. noun see: shell Date: 14th century 1. a small, flattened, rigid, and definitely circumscribed plate forming part of the external body covering especially of a fish, a small thin plate suggesting a fish ~ , the scaly covering of a ~d animal, a small thin dry lamina shed (as in many skin diseases) from the skin, a thin coating, layer, or incrustation: as, a usually black scaly coating of oxide forming on the surface of a metal (as iron) when it is heated for processing, a hard incrustation usually rich in sulfate of calcium that is deposited on the inside of a vessel (as a boiler) in which water is heated, 4. a modified leaf protecting a seed plant bud before expansion, a thin, membranous, chaffy, or woody bract, 5. any of the small overlapping usually metal pieces forming the outer surface of ~ armor, ~ armor , 6. ~ insect , infestation with or disease caused by ~ insects, ~d adjective ~less adjective IV. verb (~d; scaling) Date: 15th century transitive verb to remove the ~ or ~s from (as by scraping) , to take off in thin layers or ~s , to throw (as a thin flat stone) so that the edge cuts the air or so that it skips on water ; skim , intransitive verb to separate and come off in ~s ; flake , to shed ~s , V. verb (~d; scaling) Etymology: Middle English, from 6~ Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to attack with or take by means of scaling ladders , to climb up or reach by means of a ladder, to reach the highest point of ; surmount , 2. to arrange in a graduated series, b. to measure by or as if by a ~, to measure or estimate the sound content of (as logs), to pattern, make, regulate, set, or estimate according to some rate or standard ; adjust , intransitive verb to climb by or as if by a ladder, to rise in a graduated series, measure , VI. noun see: scan Date: 15th century 1. ladder , a means of ascent, a graduated series of musical tones ascending or descending in order of pitch according to a specified scheme of their intervals, something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: as, a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances (as the height of the mercury in a thermometer), an indication of the relationship between the distances on a map and the corresponding actual distances, ruler 3, 4. a graduated series or scheme of rank or order , minimum wage 2, 5. a proportion between two sets of dimensions (as between those of a drawing and its original), a distinctive relative size, extent, or degree , a graded series of tests or of performances used in rating individual intelligence or achievement, ~ adjective VII. noun Etymology: 5~ Date: circa 1587 escalade , an estimate of the amount of sound lumber in logs or standing timber