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   Bal·last

   /ˈbaləst/

   

   noun

   • 1. heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability: "the hull had insufficient ballast"
   • ▪ heavy material carried in an airship or on a hot-air balloon to stabilize it, and jettisoned when greater altitude is required.
   • ▪ something that gives stability or substance: "the film is an entertaining comedy with some serious ideas thrown in for ballast"
   • 2. gravel or coarse stone used to form the bed of a railroad track or road: "a thick layer of railroad ballast"
   • ▪ a mixture of coarse and fine aggregate for making concrete.
   • 3. a passive component used in an electric circuit to moderate changes in current: "ballasts are permanently wired into existing fixtures"

   verb

   • 1. give stability to (a ship) by putting a heavy substance in its bilge: "the vessel has been ballasted to give the necessary floating stability"
   • 2. form (the bed of a railroad line or road) with gravel or coarse stone: "the track was laid with rails and ballasted with earth"

   Word Origin mid 16th century: probably of Low German or Scandinavian origin.

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • L

     1

   • L

     1

   • A

     1

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

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