Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Scales for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Scales" — noun, pronounced /skeɪlz/, with the stress on "scales".
Narrator: Scales are a device used for weighing people or things.
Narrator: In plain English, scales tell you how heavy something is.
Narrator: It comes from Old Norse skál, a bowl, from the pans of old balances.
Narrator: A common collocation is "kitchen scales", which describes weighing food for recipes.
Narrator: It differs from "balance", because a balance compares two weights, while scales give a reading.
Narrator: In a second sense, scales are the hard plates covering fish and snakes.
Narrator: Cooking, health, retail and biology all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: scales weigh, and scales protect fish.
Speaker A: How much flour do I need?
Speaker B: Two hundred grams, use the SCALES! From Old Norse for a bowl.
Speaker A: Digital ones?
Speaker B: Much more accurate.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Step on the bathroom scales", health. "Weigh the butter on the scales", baking. "The fish's scales shimmered", nature.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: In British English, say "the scales" or "a pair of scales" for the device.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Balance is its cousin, weighing machine its twin, and weighbridge an alternative — yet scales keep their precise charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "scales" in AI prompts — useful for smart scales and recipe conversion.
Speaker A: How for smart scales?
Speaker B: Track trends.
Prompt: Chart weekly weight readings from smart scales and show the trend line.
Speaker A: And recipes?
Speaker B: Convert.
Prompt: Convert this cup-based recipe into grams for use with kitchen scales.
Speaker A: Could it help retail?
Speaker B: Yes, for pricing.
Prompt: Calculate prices for a refill shop from weights on its scales.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Biology.
Prompt: Explain why fish have scales in five sentences for children.
Scales — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary