scales

Noun

scale (plural scales)

1. (obsolete) A ladder; a series of steps; a means of ascending.
2. An ordered, usually numerical sequence used for measurement; means of assigning a magnitude.
   • Please rate your experience on a scale from 1 to 10.
3. Size; scope.
   • There are some who question the scale of our ambitions.
4. The ratio of depicted distance to actual distance.
   • This map uses a scale of 1:10.
5. A line or bar associated with a drawing, used to indicate measurement when the image has been magnified or reduced.
   • Even though precision can be carried to an extreme, the scales which now are drawn in (and usually connected to an appropriate figure by an arrow) will allow derivation of meaningful measurements.1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page ix
6. A series of notes spanning an octave, tritave, or pseudo-octave, used to make melodies.

See all 34 meanings of scale