Scale

MFA Acc. #: 19.38

Description

1) A small, thin plate or flake. Many fish, insects and reptiles have scaly skin. Some types of corrosion, such as rust, and encrustations, like boiler scale deposits, are scaly. Metals, such as iron and steel, can have a scaly surface due to hot-rolling.

2) A balance used for weighing.

3) A series of graduated markings used for measurement.

Authority

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988