scale

Pronunciation: /skeɪl/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an ordered reference standard
  2. noun relative magnitude
  3. noun the ratio between the size of something and a representation of it

Etymology

From Middle English scale, from Latin scāla, usually in plural scālae (“a flight of steps, stairs, staircase, ladder”), for *skand-slā, from scandō (“to climb”); see scan, ascend, descend, etc. Doublet of scala.

In classic literature

Synonyms

scale of measurement, graduated table, ordered series

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
standard
Narrower (hyponyms)
logarithmic scale, wage scale, richter scale, temperature scale, moment magnitude scale, index

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