Past tense of scale; climbed up something or adjusted the size of something proportionally.
From Old Norse skāli 'bowl, scale of a balance,' related to skal 'shell.' The climbing sense comes from the idea of ascending by degrees, like the graduated marks on a measuring scale. Both meanings converged in English by the 15th century.
It's fascinating how 'scale' connects climbing mountains to resizing images - both involve proportional relationships and gradual progression. The word literally carries the ancient image of a balance scale, reminding us that all scaling involves maintaining proper relationships.
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