scale

/skeɪl/ noun

Definition

SIZE [no plural] › the size or level of something: We don't yet know the scale of the problem. Nuclear weapons cause destruction on a massive scale (= cause a lot of destruction).

large-/small-scale › A large-/small-scale event or activity is large/small in size: a large-scale investigation

MEASURING SYSTEM [C] › the set of numbers, amounts, etc used to measure or compare the level of something: How would you rate her work on a scale of 1-10?

EQUIPMENT [C] US (UK scales [plural]) › a piece of equipment for measuring weight: a bathroom/kitchen scale

COMPARISON [C, U] › how the size of things on a map, model, etc relates to the same things in real life: a map with a scale of one centimetre per ten kilometres

MUSIC [C] › a series of musical notes that is always played in order and that rises gradually from the first note

SKIN [C] › one of the flat pieces of hard material that covers the skin of fish and snakes

(Definition of scale noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)