a portable balance consisting of a pivoted bar with two unequal arms. The load is suspended from the shorter one and the bar is returned to the horizontal by adding weights to the longer one
Word origin
C17: from steel + yard1 (in the archaic sense: a rod or pole)
steelyard in American English
(ˈstilˌjɑrd; ˈstɪljərd)
noun
a balance or scale consisting of a metal arm suspended off center from above: the object to be weighed is hung from the shorter end, and a sliding weight is moved along the graduated longer end until the whole arm balances