ballast

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable, usually) Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
2. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
3. (uncountable, usually) Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
4. (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.
5. (countable, usually) device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
6. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.

Verb

1. (transitive) To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
2. (transitive) To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
3. (transitive) To weigh down with a ballast.

Synonyms

ballast resistor

gravel

barretter

light ballast

lumber

roadbed

weight

sailing ballast

dead weight

coil

lading

macadamize

maintain

millstone

pebbles

poise

road metal

sale

stabilize

asphalt

subgrade

road-metal

Valium

ballast weight

ballast cargo

base cargo

bottom cargo

bottom stowage

steady resistance

loading resistor

balase

stabilizer

baggage

bed

🛏️

compensate

counterbalance

counterweight

equilibrate

formation

foundation

junk

macadam

Translations

lest

Ballast

ballast

ballast

lastre

zavorra

lastro

balasto

σαβούρα

balastro

Schotter

llast

balastro

έρμα

pléthore

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbæl.əst/

Etymology

From Middle English bar (“bare”) + last (“load”).

Sentences

Some or all of this ballast would then be discarded when cargo was loaded .