Definition of BALLAST. Meaning of BALLAST. Synonyms of BALLAST

Here you will find one or more explanations in English for the word BALLAST. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word BALLAST and, of course, BALLAST synonyms and on the right images related to the word BALLAST.

Definition of BALLAST

Ballast
Ballast Bal"last, n. [D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw. barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E. bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare, or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load.] 1. (Naut.) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing. 2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness. 3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid. 4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete. 5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security. It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity. --Barrow. Ballast engine, a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and raising stones and gravel for ballast. Ship in ballast, a ship carring only ballast.

Meaning of BALLAST from wikipedia

- Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often...
- An electrical ballast is a device placed in series with a load to limit the amount of current in an electrical circuit. A familiar and widely used example...
- A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water, which is used as ballast to provide hydrostatic stability...
- northeastern Netherlands Ballast Head, a headland on Kangaroo Island, Australia Ballast Head, South Australia, a locality Ballast Point (Tampa), a neighborhood...
- Ballast is weight placed low in ships to lower their centre of gravity, which increases stability (more technically, to provide a righting moment to resist...
- A ballast tractor is a specially weighted tractor unit of a heavy hauler combination. It is designed to utilize a drawbar to pull or push heavy or exceptionally...
- Track ballast is the material which forms the trackbed upon which railroad ties (UK: sleepers) are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties...
- Ballast Nedam is a Dutch-based construction and engineering company headquartered in Nieuwegein. The company resulted from a merger between Amsterdamse...
- A ballast pond was a construction found in shipyards during the age of sail. The feature was often a prominent part of the large dockyards of the Royal...
- A ballast regulator (also known as a ballast spreader or ballast sweeper) is a piece of railway maintenance equipment used to shape and distribute the...