ballast en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English bar (“bare”) + last (“load”).
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
“Oh, for the-- how much did you waste on that little boondoggle?” “Well, it's not that so much as--” “Krieger.” “Well, I needed ballast, and what better to simulate bricks of cocaine than, you know, bricks of cocaine.”
2014 March 24, Adam Reed, “On the Carpet” (18:15 from the start), in Archer, season 5, episode 9, spoken by Dr. Algernop Krieger (Lucky Yates):
- (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
- (uncountable, usually) Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
- (uncountable, usually) A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
- (uncountable, usually) A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place. ▸ Loose stone or big gravel used to hold rails and tracks in place.
- (countable, usually) device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
-
(figuratively, uncountable, usually) That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
With 73 minutes gone Rafael Márquez came on to add ballast at the back, appearing in his fifth World Cup aged 39 and with alleged links to drug trafficking, which he denies, on hold for now. And so they sat deep with a thin green line of five defenders ranged across their own penalty area as the game became a Mexican stand-off, attack versus defence.
2018 June 17, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2019:It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.
a. 1677, Isaac Barrow, The Profitableness of Godliness:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ballasts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
in ballast · autoballaster · ballastless · ballast car · ballastmaster · ballast tank · overballast · ballast resistor · success ballast · ballast wagon · water ballast · ballastage · unballast · in ballast condition · unballasted · deballast
Translations (96)
pl balast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fr ballast (electronics) · ro lest (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ro balast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · bg товар (electronics) · tr safra (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · cmn 道砟 (material laid to form a bed for a road) · pl podsypka (material laid to form a bed for a road) · de Bettung (material laid to form a bed for a road) · pt balastro (material laid to form a bed for a road) · ro balast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fi tukikerros (material laid to form a bed for a road) · pl balast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · mi pēhi (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · fo kjølfesta (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · sv barlast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · fr ballast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · sv barlast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · it massicciata (material laid to form a bed for a road) · ota صافره (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · no ballast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · cmn 道碴 (material laid to form a bed for a road) · es lastre (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ru балла́ст (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · uk бала́ст (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · mi taowaka (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · tr balast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · hu holtsúly (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · th บัลลาสต์ (electronics) · sv ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ota بالاست (material laid to form a bed for a road) · he רבד (material laid to form a bed for a road) · grc ἕρμα (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · el έρμα (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nn ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · el σαβούρα (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · fo barlast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nl ballast (electronics) · uk бала́ст (material laid to form a bed for a road) · da ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ro pietriș (material laid to form a bed for a road) · et ballast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · es balasto (electronics) · cmn 壓載 /压载 (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · es balastra (electronics) · eo balasto (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · tl tulakbahala (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · it regolatore (electronics) · id balas (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · io balasto (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · sh balast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · fi raidesepeli (material laid to form a bed for a road) · de Ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · sv ballast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · hu ballaszt (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nl ballastbed (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fi painolasti (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · bg баластра (material laid to form a bed for a road) · kl ballasti (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · mi pēhanga kowhatu (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · sq balast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nl ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · fi elektroninen virranrajoitin (electronics) · de Schotter (material laid to form a bed for a road) · id balas (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fi raidesora (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fo studningur (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · es balastro (electronics) · tr balast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · sq balast (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fr lest (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · es lastre (anything that steadies emotion or mind) · sh баласт (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · it zavorra (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ro blocaj (material laid to form a bed for a road) · pt lastro (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · ro balast (electronics) · ca llast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nl bedding (material laid to form a bed for a road) · cs zátěž (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · no fundament (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fi paarlasti (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · nb ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · es balasto (material laid to form a bed for a road) · ko 밸러스트 (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · bg баласт (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · th อับเฉา (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · et ballast (electronics) · fi kuristin (electronics) · es balastro (material laid to form a bed for a road) · et ballast (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel) · eo balasto (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fr remblai (material laid to form a bed for a road) · fi virranrajoitin (electronics) · io balasto (material laid to form a bed for a road) · ja バラスト (heavy material placed in the hold of a vessel)