ballast

bal·last  (blst)

n.

1. Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship or the gondola of a balloon to enhance stability.

2.

a. Coarse gravel or crushed rock laid to form a bed for roads or railroads.

b. The gravel ingredient of concrete.

3. Something that gives stability, especially in character.

tr.v. bal·last·ed, bal·last·ing, bal·lasts

1. To stabilize or provide with ballast.

2. To fill (a railroad bed) with or as if with ballast.

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[Perhaps from Old Swedish or Old Danish barlast : bar, mere, bare; see bhoso- in Indo-European roots + last, load.]

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ballast [ˈbæləst]

n

1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) any dense heavy material, such as lead or iron pigs, used to stabilize a vessel, esp one that is not carrying cargo

2. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) crushed rock, broken stone, etc., used for the foundation of a road or railway track

3. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) coarse aggregate of sandy gravel, used in making concrete

4. anything that provides stability or weight

5. (Electronics) Electronics a device for maintaining the current in a circuit

vb (tr)

to give stability or weight to

[probably from Low German; related to Old Danish, Old Swedish barlast, literally: bare load (without commercial value), from bar bare, mere + last load, burden]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	ballast - any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship material, stuff - the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread"
	2.	ballast - coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads crushed rock, gravel - rock fragments and pebbles
	3.	ballast - an attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings attribute - an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
	4.	ballast - a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations) ballast resistor, barretter resistor, resistance - an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current
	5.	ballast - an electrical device for starting and regulating fluorescent and discharge lamps light ballast electrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity
Verb	1.	ballast - make steady with a ballast stabilise, stabilize, steady, brace - support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel"

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ballast

noun counterbalance, balance, weight, stability, equilibrium, sandbag, counterweight, stabilizer She may have to discharge some ballast to make her lighter.

Translations

ballast [ˈbæləst]

A. N (Naut) (fig) → lastre m (Rail) → balasto m
in ballast → en lastre

B. VT (Naut) → lastrar (Rail) → balastar

ballast [ˈbæləst] n (for boat) → lest m; (for hot air balloon) → lest m
ball bearing ball-bearing [ˌbɔːlˈbɛərɪŋ] n → roulement m à billes
ball boy n → ramasseur m de balles
ball cock n → robinet m à flotteur

ballast

n

(Naut, Aviat, fig) → Ballast m; to take in/discharge ballast → Ballast aufnehmen/abwerfen

(= stone, clinker) → Schotter m; (Rail) → Bettung (→ sschotter m) f

vt (Naut, Aviat) → mit Ballast beladen

ballast [ˈbæləst] n → zavorra