Etymograph

English

poise

Poise comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-1‘to stretch’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400pois1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500poys1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1590poise1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English poise
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto XII: “as an huge rockie clift, / Whose false foundation…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-Wiktionary, English poise‘to stretch’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400poisWiktionary, English poise
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500poysWiktionary, English poise
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1590poiseWiktionary, English poise. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto XII: “as an huge rockie clift, / Whose false foundation…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’

spend, expensive, compensation, pension, depend, span, pound, expense, compensate, expenditure, appendix, pendant, perpendicular, penthouse, compendium, peso, expend, pansy, dispensation, append, pensive, recompense, piso, 18 more

Today it means

noun A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “poise”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- / poise

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