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Word: ballast (lookup usage) (lookup stats)


Meaning:

Noun:

  • Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads.
  • construction 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.
  • electronics device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g.in a tube lamp supply circuit)
  • figurative Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
  • nautical Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.

Source: Wiktionary | Src Info »

Verb:

  • To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
  • To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.

Source: Wiktionary | Src Info »