ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
1.
a. : something thrown into a scale to bring the weight to a desired value
b. : a thing or a person of little worth or independent value thrown into a gap or empty place to fill out a whole
some of the stories in the collection are mere makeweights
2. : counterweight , counterpoise
America's power as a makeweight in the international scales — J.R.Chamberlain