scale

A scale is a device that is used for measuring something. Many different kinds of scales show the weight of a person or a thing:

A scale is used at a grocery store or a delicatessen to weigh food items such as meat and cheese.
Babies are weighed on scales when they go to the doctor for a checkup.
You can weigh yourself on a bathroom scale at home.
Packages are weighed on a scale to determine the cost of shipping.

A scale can also be used to represent quality. In the American educational system, letter grades represent the quality of a student’s performance in school:

• An "A" is a letter grade at the top of the grading scale.
• An "F" is also a letter grade, but it’s at the bottom of the grading scale.
• Between "A" and "F" on the grade scale, the letter "B" stands for good, the letter "C" stands for average, and the letter "D" stands for poor.
• A pay scale is used by some companies when deciding how much money to give to workers in the form of a salary or wages.

Scales are also found on the exterior of an animal’s body:

A snake is covered with scales. The scales protect the snake and facilitate movement.
Some fish are also covered with scales. The scales have to be removed before the fish is eaten.

When the word "scale" is used as a verb, it’s similar to the word "climb."

• Bob scaled the side of the mountain in about two hours.
• Firefighters scaled the side of a building to rescue people who were trapped by a fire.

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This page was first published on October 19, 2013. It was updated on October 24, 2016.