Heavy objects placed on the opposite side of something to balance it, like weights on a seesaw that help keep things level.
From Middle English 'counter-' (against, opposite) + 'weight' (heaviness). The prefix comes from Old French and Latin 'contra.' The compound was formed to describe objects whose purpose is to provide equal opposing force.
Counterweights are ingenious in elevators—they weigh almost as much as the car itself, so the motor only has to lift about half the load, making elevators surprisingly efficient machines that have shaped how we build cities.
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