Tra từ scale - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

scale [scale scales scaled scaling] noun, verb BrE [skeɪl] NAmE [skeɪl]
noun

SIZE
1. singular, uncountable the size or extent of sth, especially when compared with sth else
• They entertain on a large scale (= they hold expensive parties with a lot of guests).
• Here was corruption on a grand scale.
•On a global scale, 77% of energy is created from fossil fuels.
•to achieve economies of scale in production (= to produce many items so the cost of producing each one is reduced)
•~ of sth It was impossible to comprehend the full scale of the disaster.
•It was not until morning that the sheer scale of the damage could be seen (= how great it was).
see also ↑full-scale, ↑large-scale, ↑small-scale

RANGE OF LEVELS
2. countable a range of levels or numbers used for measuring sth
•a five-point pay scale
•to evaluate performance on a scale from 1 to 10
• The salary scale goes from £12 000 to £20 000.
•a scale of charges
see also ↑Richter scale, ↑sliding scale, ↑timescale
3. countable, usually singular the set of all the different levels of sth, from the lowest to the highest
•At the other end of the scale, life is a constant struggle to get enough to eat.
•the social scale

MARKS FOR MEASURING
4. countable a series of marks at regular intervals on an instrument that is used for measuring
• How much does it read on the scale?

WEIGHING INSTRUMENT
5. scalesplural (NAmE also scale)an instrument for weighing people or things
•bathroom/kitchen/weighing scales
• (figurative)the scales of justice (= represented as the two pans on a ↑balance (5))

OF MAP/DIAGRAM/MODEL
6. countable the relation between the actual size of sth and its size on a map, diagram or model that represents it
•a scale of 1:25 000
•a scale model/drawing
• Both plans are drawn to the same scale.
• Is this diagram to scale (= are all its parts the same size and shape in relation to each other as they are in the thing represented)?

IN MUSIC
7. countable a series of musical notes moving upwards or downwards, with fixed intervals between each note, especially a series of eight starting on a particular note
•the scale of C major
•to practise scales on the piano
compare ↑key _n. (⁵), ↑octave

OF FISH/REPTILE
8. countable any of the thin plates of hard material that cover the skin of many fish and ↑reptiles
•The beast was a dragon, with great purple and green scales.

IN WATER PIPES, ETC.
9. (BrE also fur)uncountable a hard greyish-white substance that is sometimes left inside water pipes and containers for heating water
see also ↑limescale

ON TEETH
10. uncountable a hard substance that forms on teeth, especially when they are not cleaned regularly
compare ↑plaque
see tip the balance/scalestip the scales at sth at ↑tip _v.

Word Origin:
n. senses 8 to 10 and v. senses 2 to 3 Middle English Old French escale Germanic ↑scalen. sense 5 Middle English ‘drinking cup’ South African English Old Norse skál ‘bowl’ Germanic Dutch schaal German Schale ‘bowl’ English shale ‘dish’ n. senses 1 to 4 and n. senses 6 to 7 v. senses 1 to 4 late Middle English Latin scala ‘ladder’ Old French escaler medieval Latin scalare ‘climb’ Latin scandere ‘to climb’

Thesaurus:
scale noun
1. U, sing.
•It was impossible to take in the full scale of the disaster.
extent • • size • • level • • degree • • proportions • |formal magnitude •
the full scale/extent/size of sth
the sheer scale/extent/size/magnitude of sth
assess/judge the scale/extent/size/level/degree/magnitude of sth
the scale/extent/size/magnitude of the problem
Scale or extent? The scale of sth is how large it is; the extent is how far it goes. Some qualities, such as knowledge, are considered as being wide rather than large, and so have extent rather than scale:
•I was amazed at the extent of his knowledge.
✗ I was amazed at the scale of his knowledge. You are more likely to try to measure/calculate the extent of sth, while you simply try to comprehend/grasp the scale of sth.
2. C
•a salary/pay scale
hierarchy • • ladder • • the rankings • • line • |informal pecking order •
on a/the scale/ladder
in the hierarchy/rankings/pecking order
move up the scale/hierarchy/ladder/rankings/pecking order
be at the top/bottom of the scale/hierarchy/ladder/rankings/pecking order
3. C, U
•The map is drawn to a scale of 1:25 000.
ratio • • proportion •
a scale/ratio of 1:25, etc.
out of scale/proportion

Example Bank:
•After ten years, she had worked her way to the top of the pay scale.
•Benefits are paid on a sliding scale according to family income.
•Can you give me any sort of time scale for the completion of the building work?
•Do they always entertain on such a lavish scale?
•Economies of scale enable the larger companies to lower their prices.
•Given the scale of the changes, it is essential that all managers familiarize themselves with the details.
•He has risen up the social scale from rather humble beginnings.
•He's made a scale model of the Eiffel Tower.
•It is difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the suffering caused by the war.
•It was several days before the full scale of the accident became clear.
•On a scale of 1 to 10, he scores 7.
•Patients were asked to state their level of anxiety on a 10-point rating scale.
•The city would operate on a more human scale if cars were banned from the centre.
•The company has a five-point pay scale.
•The dolls are now produced on a commercial scale.
•The earthquake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.
•The final building is realized on a human scale.
•The map has a scale of one centimetre to the kilometre.
•The paintings are small in scale.
•The plan of the building is not drawn to scale.
•They plan to expand the scale and scope of their operations.
•We could hear her practising her scales.
•We need to determine the scale of the problem.
•Where do birds come on the evolutionary scale?
•a misuse of presidential power on an unprecedented scale
•a scale of 1: 25 000
•a scale ranging from ‘utterly miserable’ to ‘deliriously happy’
•a sliding scale based on income
•pollution on a massive scale
•the scale of the project/task
•At the bottom end of the scale, there are people living on under a dollar a day.
•At what point on the evolutionary scale do birds come?
•Engineers have built a scale model of part of the coast.
•Farm workers were always considered to be low down on the social scale.
•Here was corruption on a grand scale.
•How would you judge our service on a scale of one to ten?
•Is this diagram to scale?
•It was not until morning that the sheer scale of the damage could be seen.
•On a global scale, 77% of energy is created from fossil fuels.
•On the response sheet, the scale of answers ranged from ‘excellent’ to ‘extremely poor’.
•Please see the attached sheet for our scale of fees.
•The map is drawn to a scale of 1:25000.
•There are incredibly wealthy people living here, but at the other end of the scale there are thousands living in poverty.
•There is an ascending scale of penalties for traffic offences.
•They entertain on a large scale.
•We are striving to achieve economies of scale in production.
•a salary/pay scale
Derived: ↑scale something down ▪ ↑scale something up

verb

CLIMB
1. ~ sth (formal)to climb to the top of sth very high and steep
•the first woman to scale Mount Everest
• (figurative)He has scaled the heights of his profession.

FISH
2. ~ sth to remove the small flat hard pieces of skin from a fish

TEETH
3. ~ sth to remove ↑tartar from the teeth by ↑scraping
•The dentist scaled and polished my teeth.

CHANGE SIZE
4. ~ sth (from sth) (to sth) (technical)to change the size of sth
•Text can be scaled from 4 points to 108 points without any loss of quality.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
n. senses 8 to 10 and v. senses 2 to 3 Middle English Old French escale Germanic ↑scalen. sense 5 Middle English ‘drinking cup’ South African English Old Norse skál ‘bowl’ Germanic Dutch schaal German Schale ‘bowl’ English shale ‘dish’ n. senses 1 to 4 and n. senses 6 to 7 v. senses 1 to 4 late Middle English Latin scala ‘ladder’ Old French escaler medieval Latin scalare ‘climb’ Latin scandere ‘to climb’

Synonyms:
cut
slash • cut sth back • scale sth back • rationalize • downsize
These words all mean to reduce the amount or size of sth, especially of an amount of money or a business.
cut • to reduce sth, especially an amount of money that is demanded, spent, earned, etc. or the size of a business: ▪ The President has promised to cut taxes significantly. ◇ ▪ Buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want. ◇ ▪ His salary has been cut by ten per cent. ◇ ▪ Could you cut your essay from 5 000 to 3 000 words?
slash • [often passive] (rather informal) (often used in newspapers) to reduce sth by a large amount: ▪ The workforce has been slashed by half.
cut sth back/ • cut back on sth • to reduce sth, especially an amount of money or business: ▪ We had to cut back production.
scale sth back • (especially NAmE or business) to reduce sth, especially an amount of money or business: ▪ The IMF has scaled back its growth forecasts for the next decade.
rationalize • (BrE, business) to make changes to a business or system, in order to make it more efficient, especially by spending less money.
downsize • (business) to make a company or organization smaller by reducing the number of jobs in it, in order to reduce costs. Downsize is often used by people who want to avoid saying more obvious words like ‘dismiss’ or ‘make redundant’ because they sound too negative.
to cut/slash/cut back on/scale back/rationalize spending/production
to cut/slash/cut back on jobs
to cut/slash/downsize the workforce
to cut/slash/rationalize the cost of sth
to cut/slash prices/taxes/the budget
to cut sth/slash sth/cut sth back drastically

Example Bank:
•He somehow managed to scale the sheer outside wall of the tower.
•She was the first woman to scale Mount Everest.

See also: ↑fur ▪ ↑scale something back