1. Zoology.
• one of the thin, flat, horny plates forming the covering of certain animals, as snakes, lizards, and pangolins.
• one of the hard, bony or dentinal plates, either flat or denticulate, forming the covering of certain other animals, as fishes.
2. any thin, platelike piece, lamina, or flake that peels off from a surface, as from the skin.
3. Botany.
• a rudimentary body, usually a specialized leaf and often covered with hair, wax, or resin, enclosing an immature leaf bud.
• a thin, scarious or membranous part of a plant, as a bract of a catkin.
4. scale insect.
5. a coating or incrustation, as on the inside of a boiler, formed by the precipitation of salts from the water.
6. Often scales. Metallurgy.
• an oxide, especially an iron oxide, occurring in a scaly form on the surface of metal brought to a high temperature.
• such scale formed on iron or steel during hot-rolling.
7. scales,
• a cause of blindness or ignorance, as regarding the true nature of a person, situation, etc.: You're infatuated with her now, but the scales will soon fall from your eyes.
• an unspecified affliction that caused Paul to become temporarily blind. Acts 9:18.

8. to remove the scales or scale from: to scale a fish.
9. to remove in scales or thin layers.
10. to cover with an incrustation or scale.
11. to skip, as a stone over water.
12. to remove (calculus) from the teeth with instruments.

13. to come off in scales.
14. to shed scales.
15. to become coated with scale, as the inside of a boiler.

1. a balance or any of various other instruments or devices for weighing: We gave the parents a baby scale. The butcher placed the meat on the scales.
2. either of the pans or dishes of a balance.
3. the constellation or sign of Libra; Balance.

4. to weigh in or as if in scales.
5. to have a weight of.

6. tip the scale / scales,
• to weigh: He tips the scales at 190 lbs.
• to turn the trend of favor, control, etc.: The present crisis should tip the scales for our candidate.
7. to decide in favor of one side or faction; determine the outcome: It would take a miracle to turn the scales for us now.

1. a succession or progression of steps or degrees; graduated series: the scale of taxation; the social scale.
2. a series of marks laid down at determinate distances, as along a line, for purposes of measurement or computation: the scale of a thermometer.
3. a graduated line, as on a map, representing proportionate size.
4. a table of graduated rates, as of prices or wages: These unions use different scales.
5. a wage that conforms to such rates: How much is scale?
6. a wage fixed by contract that is the minimum permitted to be paid to or accepted by a particular category of employed persons: All actors and musicians for the performance, including the stars, are working for scale.
7. an instrument with graduated spaces, as for measuring.
8. the proportion that a representation of an object bears to the object itself: a model on a scale of one inch to one foot.
9. the ratio of distances or sometimes of areas on a map to the corresponding values on the earth.
10. a certain relative or proportionate size or extent: They built a residence on a yet more magnificent scale.
11. a standard of measurement or estimation; point of reference by which to gauge or rate: We have no scale by which to judge his achievements.
12. a succession of tones ascending or descending according to fixed intervals, especially such a series beginning on a particular note: the major scale of C.
13. a graded series of tests or tasks for measuring intelligence, achievement, adjustment, etc.
14. a system of numerical notation: the decimal scale.
15. anything by which one may ascend.
16. Obsolete.
• a ladder.
• a flight of stairs.

17. to climb by or as if by a ladder; climb up or over.
18. to make according to scale.
19. to adjust in amount according to a fixed scale or proportion (often followed by down or up): to scale down wages.
20. to measure by or as if by a scale.
21. Lumbering.
• to measure (logs).
• to estimate the amount of (standing timber).
22. to ride on (public transportation) without paying the fare.

23. to climb; ascend; mount.
24. to progress in a graduated series.

1. any of the numerous plates, made of various substances resembling enamel or dentine, covering the bodies of fishes
• any of the horny or chitinous plates covering a part or the entire body of certain reptiles and mammals
• any of the numerous minute structures covering the wings of lepidoptera
3. a thin flat piece or flake
4. a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the skin: excessive shedding may be the result of a skin disease
5. a specialized leaf or bract, esp the protective covering of a bud or the dry membranous bract of a catkin
6. See scale insect
7. a flaky black oxide of iron formed on the surface of iron or steel at high temperatures
8. any oxide formed on a metal during heat treatment
9. another word for limescale

10. to remove the scales or coating from
11. to peel off or cause to peel off in flakes or scales
12. to shed scales
13. to cover or become covered with scales, incrustation, etc
14. to throw (a disc or thin flat object) edgewise through the air or along the surface of water
15. to ride on public transport without paying a fare
16. to steal (something)

1. a machine or device for weighing
2. one of the pans of a balance
3. tip the scales
• to exercise a decisive influence
• to amount in weight (to)

4. to weigh with or as if with scales
5. to have a weight of

1. a sequence of marks either at regular intervals or else representing equal steps, used as a reference in making measurements
2. a measuring instrument having such a scale
• the ratio between the size of something real and that of a model or representation of it
• (as modifier)
4. a line, numerical ratio, etc, for showing this ratio
5. a progressive or graduated table of things, wages, etc, in order of size, value, etc
6. an established measure or standard
7. a relative degree or extent
8. a group of notes taken in ascending or descending order, esp within the compass of one octave
9. the notation of a given number system
10. a graded series of tests measuring mental development, etc
11. a ladder or staircase

12. to climb to the top of (a height) by or as if by a ladder
13. to make or draw (a model, plan, etc) according to a particular ratio of proportionate reduction
14. to increase or reduce proportionately in size, etc
15. (in forestry) to estimate the board footage of (standing timber or logs)

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