Forms: α. 4–5 countrepese, -peyse, 4–7 counterpeise, -peyse, 5 contrepeyse, counterpeyce, 6 contrepece, counterpease, -peaze, conterpace, conturpayse, 6–7 counterpaise, -payse; β. 5–7 counterpoys(e, 7 -poize, -poyze, 6– counterpoise. [ME. countrepese, -peise, a. OF. contrepeser (pres. sing. orig. peise); in 16–17th c. assimilated to the sb. with -poise.]
1. trans. To balance by a weight on the opposite side or acting in opposition; to counterbalance: a. of the thing; b. of persons or agents.
α. 1566. Drant, Horace’s Sat., I. vii. F iij. Simo may … have not giftes, or qualities, to counterpeyse a straw.
1577. Harrison, England, II. xxv. (1877), I. 361. One shilling of siluer in those daies did counterpeise our common ounce.
β. 1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. ii. 30. That all the world he would weigh equallie, If ought he had the same to counterpoys.
1596. Nashe, Saffron Walden, 42. It [the book] counterpoyseth a Cade of Herring, and three Holland Cheeses.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., III. 177. We counterpoiz’d both it and the thread with a weight in the other Scale.
1794. G. Adams, Nat. & Exp. Philos., I. iii. 71. The pressure upwards is thus counterpoised by the mercury in the tube.
1846. Joyce, Sci. Dial., xiii. 168. A piece of lead is made to counterpoise the bottle.
† c. To put as an equivalent. Obs. rare.
1613. Sylvester, Little Bartas, Wks. II. 88/378. If somtimes som truth they chance to hit They’ll counterpoiz a hundred lies for it.
2. transf. and fig. To balance in power, quality or effect; to be, or furnish, an equivalent for; to counterbalance, compensate.
α. c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 1358. For to recoueren blisse and ben at ese And passed wo with ioie countrepese [v.r. -peyse].
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 190. Pite may nought be counterpeised Of tirannie with no peise.
1530. Rastell, Bk. Purgat., III. xiii. Not suffycyent sorowe to counterpeyse the pleasure.
1602. T. Fitzherbert, Apol., 9 a. With the shewe of some plausible seruice, to counterpeyse the offences he had committed.
β. 1586. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., I. (1594), 58. Even the greatest worldly happines is counterpoised with evill.
1607. Walkington, Opt. Glass, X. (1664), 117. Their rare Qualities … do more than counterpoize this Natural fault.
c. 1630. Risdon, Surv. Devon (1714), I. 67. Let my Labour counterpoise your Patience.
1738. Fielding, Conversation, Wks. 1784, IX. 379. A weakness which may counterpoise this merit.
1856. Froude, Hist. Eng., I. 345. [More] had attempted to counterpoise the attack upon the church by destroying the unhappy protestants.
† 3. intr. To be equiponderant, act as a counter-balance (to, with, against). Obs.
α. c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, I. x. (1544), 22 a. If any sorowe or mischiefs unrecured May counterpeyce to that I haue indured.
1521. Fisher, Wks., I. (1876), 321. Yf all these so many testymonyes … shall not counterpease agaynst one frere.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., III. iv. 201. Such a bitternesse of sorrow … as may in balaunce counterpaise with the trust of pardon.
4. trans. To bring into or keep in a state of equilibrium. lit. and fig.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 135. Whiche is a thing full necessaire To counterpeise the balaunce.
1575. Turberv., Venerie, 92. My doctor brings his drugs to counterpaise all quarrels.
1621–51. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. iv. I. i. (1651), 639. This makes us happy, counterpoising our hearts in all miserie.
1635. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., I. iv. 74. No man can imagine how the parts of the Earth about the Center should alwayes be equally counterpoyzed.
1860. Maury, Phys. Geog. Sea, v. § 290. The exquisite compensation of this grand machine, the atmosphere. It is exquisitely and wonderfully counterpoised.
5. a. To weigh (a thing) with, i.e., against (another), in order to ascertain their relative values.
1685. Cotton, trans. Montaigne (1877), I. 75. He renders himself unworthy of it who will counterpoise its cost with its fruit.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, VIII. 498. Who in the deceitful scales Of worldly wisdom, dare to counterpoise The right with the expedient.
† b. To weigh mentally; to balance opposite considerations in one’s mind; to consider or ponder carefully. Also absol. Obs.
c. 1477. Caxton, Jason, 113 b. And after [she] began to think and contrepeyse in her mynde in dyuerce maners.
c. 1500. Sc. Poem Heraldry, 191, in Q. Eliz. Acad., 100. Quha will study his wittis, and conterpace The hie planetis, and signis of the aire.
1685. Gracian’s Courtiers Orac., 300. He acts with circumspection. He is a Janus in counterpoising, and an Argus in discerning.
Hence Counterpoised ppl. a.; Counterpoising vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
c. 1477. Caxton, Jason, 72. Nomore seche weyes so contrepeysed.
1625. K. Long, trans. Barclay’s Argenis, III. xviii. 208. Held firme with a counter-poised weight.
1653. Rouse, Myst. Marr., 316. The soul is kept in an evenness … by reason of the counterpoising consolations.
1836. I. Taylor, Phys. Th. another Life, 182. Some counterpoised [printed counterpoised] statements.
1878. F. Harrison, in Fortn. Rev., Nov., 701. The doctrine of right becomes … a network of qualifications, counterpoising duties, and compensations.
