counterweight

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Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Proto-Indo-European *-teros

Proto-Italic *-teros

Proto-Italic *komterosder.

Proto-Italic *komterād

Latin contrāder.

Old French contre-

Anglo-Norman countre-bor.

Middle English counter-

English counter-

English weight

English counterweight

From counter- + weight.

A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect the raising and lowering. Counterweights are used, for example, in cable-hauled elevators and some kinds of movable bridges (e.g. a bascule bridge). Four 110-ton counterweights, one in each tower, make this feat possible by reducing the effective weight to be lifted to some 25 tons; but an additional 20 tons (a very heavy snow load) can be lifted if necessary.
figuratively A counterbalance. A counterweight to the anti-immigrant fear mongering of the former leader of the right-wing U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, Lexiteers^([sic]) argued a left-wing, democratic and internationalist case for Brexit.

transitive To fit with a counterweight. The lifting span, which rises vertically between the towers, weighs 465 tons and is counterweighted by four 110-ton weights.