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Glite Dictionary
steelyard

steelyard

9.9
A kind of scale with a long bar and a sliding weight that you use to weigh things
  • noun
  • /ˈstiːliˌjɑrd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : balanza de brazo
  • Got fired from a shit job in a steelyard.

Examples

  • The merchant used a steelyard to ensure the weight of the spices was accurate before selling them.

  • Fragments of metal from the steelyard were on the cement floor.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • My grandfather saw our blank stares and asked Jacob if he wanted to go to the steelyard.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • For weighing heavier objects, the farmers relied on a traditional steelyard hung from a sturdy beam.

  • In the old market, vendors employed a steelyard to balance the fruits and vegetables they sold.

Synonyms

beam scale
vssteelyard
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A balance with a long bar that turns and uses a sliding weight to measure how heavy something is

is the same device but uses a different traditional name
lever scale
vssteelyard
7.4

A small portable balance with a bar that turns on a point to weigh things

is the same device but called by an alternate term
beam balance
vssteelyard
  • Specialized
5.3

A tool with a horizontal beam and two pans that compares weights

measures by suspending objects at different points on unequal arms

Surface Forms

steelyard singular
steelyards plural

Morphology

steelyard = steel + yard (semi-transparent) = steel + yard

The components 'steel' and 'yard' are clear, but the specialized sense 'a portable balance' is not directly predictable from those parts for an average learner.

Etymology

The word steelyard comes from old words for a long beam used in weighing; a helpful way to remember it is to read steel as 'strong' and yard as a 'rod' or 'beam'. So a steelyard is a strong long bar with a sliding weight that lets you weigh things by balance.