scale¹ /skāl/

1. A graduated series or order
2. A graduated measure
3. A system of definite tones used in music
4. A succession of these performed in ascending or descending order of pitch through one octave or more
5. The compass or range of a voice or instrument
6. A numeral system
7. A system or scheme of relative values or correspondences
8. The ratio of representation to object
9. Relative extent
10. A ladder (obsolete)
11. A scaling ladder (Milton)
12. A flight of steps (obsolete)

1. To mount (as by a ladder)
2. To climb
3. To change according to scale (often with up or down)
4. To estimate how much timber will be obtained from (a log or tree) (N American)

To mount

scalabilˈity or scaleabilˈity noun

scalˈable or scaleˈable adjective

1. Able to be scaled
2. Esp of computer systems, easily variable in size

scalˈableness or scaleˈableness noun

scalˈably or scaleˈably adverb

scalˈer noun

1. An instrument incorporating more than one scaling circuit, a device that counts very rapid pulses, by recording at the end of each group of specified numbers instead of after individual pulses
2. A scaling circuit itself

scalˈing noun

1. Climbing
2. Adjustment to or in a scale

scale model noun

A model of something made in reduced size but accurate proportion

scale stair or scale staircase noun (Scot)

Stairs in straight flights

scaling ladder noun

1. A ladder for climbing the walls of a fortress, etc
2. A firefighter's ladder

full-scale see under full¹

on a large, small, etc scale

In a great, small, etc way

on the scale of

In the ratio of

scale and platt (Scot)

Stairs with straight flights and landings

to scale

In proportion corresponding to actual dimensions

scale² /skāl/

1. A thin plate on a fish, reptile, etc
2. A readily detached flake
3. A lamina
4. An overlapping plate in armour
5. A small, flat, detachable piece of cuticle
6. A reduced leaf or leaf-base, often membranous, or hard and woody
7. Any of the small flat structures covering a butterfly's or moth's wing
8. The waxy shield secreted by a scale insect
9. An encrustation, esp that left inside a kettle, etc by hard water
10. A deposit of tartar on the teeth
11. A film, as on iron being heated for forging
12. A side piece of a razor or clasp-knife handle

1. To clear of scale or scales
2. To peel off in thin layers

1. To come off in thin layers or flakes
2. To form scales
3. To become encrusted with scale

scaled adjective

1. Having scales
2. Cleared of scales

scaleˈless adjective

scaleˈlike adjective

scalˈer noun

1. A person who scales fish, boilers, etc
2. An instrument for scaling, as for removing tartar from the teeth

scalˈiness noun

scalˈing noun

1. Formation, peeling off, shedding, removal, or arrangement, of scales or scale
2. A scaled-off piece

scalˈy adjective

1. Covered with scales
2. Like scales
3. Shabby
4. Formed of scales
5. Inclined to scale

scale armour noun

Armour of overlapping scales

scale board noun

A very thin slip of wood

scale fern noun

A fern (Ceterach officinarum) whose back is densely covered with rusty-coloured scales

scale fish noun

1. A dry-cured fish, such as haddock, hake, pollack
2. A fish with scales

scale insect noun

Any insect of the homopterous family Coccidae, in which the sedentary female fixes on a plant and secretes a waxy shield

scale leaf noun

A scale that is homologically a leaf

scale moss noun

A liverwort with small leaflike structures, as Jungermannia

scaleˈwork noun

Imbricated ornament

scaly anteater noun

The pangolin

scalˈy-bark noun

1. Hickory
2. Hickory-nut

scalˈy-leg noun

A disease of the legs and feet in poultry, caused by a mite

scale³ /skāl/

1. (usu in pl; treated by Shakespeare as sing) a device for weighing
2. A balance pan
3. (in pl; usu with cap) Libra, a constellation and a sign of the zodiac

1. To weigh
2. To weigh up

To weigh or be weighed, as a jockey (often scale in)

scale beam noun

The beam of a balance

tip the scale(s) see under tip²

scale⁵ /skāl/ (Shakespeare, Coriolanus I.1.90)

Variously explained as to spread, disseminate (see skail), to lay bare, make clear (see scale²) or as a misprint for ‘stale’

lime¹ /līm/

1. Bird-lime, a sticky substance for catching birds
2. Any slimy or gluey material (dialect)
3. The white caustic earth (calcium oxide, quicklime, or caustic lime) obtained by driving off water and carbon dioxide from calcium carbonate (eg in the form of limestone)
4. Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) obtained by adding water to quicklime
5. Loosely, limestone or calcium carbonate

Of lime

1. To cover with lime
2. To treat with lime
3. To manure with lime
4. To ensnare, trap (also figurative)
5. To cement (dialect)

To adulterate wine with lime

līmˈiness noun

līmˈing noun

1. In the preparation of leather, etc, the soaking of skins in limewater to remove hair
2. The application of lime

līmˈy adjective

1. Glutinous, sticky (dialect)
2. Smeared with, containing, like or of the nature of, lime

limeˈ-burner noun

Someone who calcines limestone, etc to form lime

limeˈkiln noun

A kiln or furnace in which calcium carbonate is reduced to lime

limeˈlight noun

1. The glare of publicity (from a type of lamp formerly used in theatre stage lighting, which used heated lime to provide light)
2. Light produced by a blowpipe flame directed against a block of quicklime

transitive verb (pat and pap limeˈlit or limeˈlighted) (esp figurative)

To illuminate by limelight, to subject to the glare of limelight

limeˈpit noun

A lime-filled pit in which hides are steeped to remove hair

limeˈstone noun

A sedimentary rock of calcium carbonate, sometimes (magnesian limestone) with a high dolomite content

limestone pavement noun (geology)

A surface of exposed limestone resembling a pavement

limeˈ-scale noun

An encrustation left inside a kettle etc by the action of hard water (also scale)

limeˈ-twig noun

1. A twig smeared with bird-lime
2. A snare

limeˈwash noun

A milky mixture of slaked lime and water, used for coating walls, etc

transitive verb

To cover with limewash

limeˈwater noun

A suspension of calcium hydroxide in water, sometimes used as an antacid

skail, scail or scale /skāl/ (Scot)

1. To disperse
2. To scatter
3. To spill

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