Equilibrium

[ee-kwuh-lib-ree-uh m, ek-wuh-] /ˌi kwəˈlɪb ri əm, ˌɛk wə-/

noun, plural equilibriums, equilibria
[ee-kwuh-lib-ree-uh, ek-wuh-] /ˌi kwəˈlɪb ri ə, ˌɛk wə-/ (Show IPA)
1.
a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.
2.
equal balance between any powers, influences, etc.; equality of effect.
3.
mental or emotional balance; equanimity:
The pressures of the situation caused her to lose her equilibrium.
4.
Chemistry. the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction proceed at equal rates.
/ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm/
noun (pl) -riums, -ria (-rɪə)
1.
a stable condition in which forces cancel one another
2.
a state or feeling of mental balance; composure
3.
any unchanging condition or state of a body, system, etc, resulting from the balance or cancelling out of the influences or processes to which it is subjected See thermodynamic equilibrium
4.
(physics) a state of rest or uniform motion in which there is no resultant force on a body
5.
(chem) the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction take place at equal rates
6.
(physics) the condition of a system that has its total energy distributed among its component parts in the statistically most probable manner
7.
(physiol) a state of bodily balance, maintained primarily by special receptors in the inner ear
8.
the economic condition in which there is neither excess demand nor excess supply in a market
n.

c.1600, from Latin aequilibrium, from aequus “equal” (see equal) + libra “a balance, scale, plummet” (see Libra).

equilibrium e·qui·lib·ri·um (ē’kwə-lĭb’rē-əm, ěk’wə-)
n.

equilibrium
(ē’kwə-lĭb’rē-əm)
Plural equilibriums or equilibria

In economics, a state of the economy in which for every commodity or service (including labor), total supply and demand are exactly equal. Equilibrium is never actually attained; it is approximated by movements of the market.

Note: Keynesian economics departed from conventional economic theory in demonstrating that economic equilibrium and full employment need not occur together. Therefore, as a system tends toward equilibrium, it might not eliminate unemployment.

A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics, equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object. In chemistry, it occurs when chemical reactions are proceeding in such a way that the amount of each substance in a system remains the same. (See chemical equilibrium.)