Steelyard

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Steelyard \Steel"yard\ (st[=e]l"y[aum]rd; colloq.
     st[i^]l"y[~e]rd; 277), n. [So named from a place in London
     called the Steelyard, which was a yard in which steel was
     sold.]
     A form of balance in which the body to be weighed is
     suspended from the shorter arm of a lever, which turns on a


     fulcrum, and a counterpoise is caused to slide upon the
     longer arm to produce equilibrium, its place upon this arm
     (which is notched or graduated) indicating the weight; a
     Roman balance; -- very commonly used also in the plural form,
     steelyards.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  steelyard
       n : a portable balance consisting of a pivoted bar with arms of
           unequal length [syn: {lever scale}, {beam scale}]