countervail

[ koun-ter-veyl ]

verb (used with object)

1. to act or avail against with equal power, force, or effect; counteract.

   Synonyms: neutralize, counterpoise, counterbalance

2. to furnish an equivalent of or a compensation for; offset.
3. Archaic. to equal.

verb (used without object)

1. to be of equal force in opposition; avail.

countervail

/ ˌkaʊntəˈveɪl; ˈkaʊntəˌveɪl /

verb

1. whenintr, usually foll by against to act or act against with equal power or force
2. tr to make up for; compensate; offset

Other Words From

• uncoun·ter·vailed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of countervail¹

1350–1400; Middle English contrevailen < Anglo-French countrevail-, tonic stem (subjunctive) of countrevaloir to equal, be comparable to < Latin phrase contrā valēre to be of worth against (someone or something). See counter-, -valent

Word History and Origins

Origin of countervail¹

C14: from Old French contrevaloir, from Latin contrā valēre, from contrā against + valēre to be strong

Example Sentences

"We depend on our memory to record, to learn and to recall, and we depend on forgetting to countervail, to sculpt and to squelch our memories. This balancing act is, as it turns out, vital for our cognitive functioning, creativity and mental health."

From Salon

We depend on our memory to record, to learn and to recall, and we depend on forgetting to countervail, to sculpt and to squelch our memories.

From New York Times

In tobacco specifically there was a young lawyer who said: We can use another federal regulatory route to try to countervail the power of Big Tobacco, through advertisements on TV.

From Slate

“Countervail can detect and recover critical files in real time and make sure that the things that are being loaded into memory are the things that you intended to be there. Countervail ensures systems in the field operate as designed. It protects system configuration and locks it in place,” Jacob Noffke, principal cyber engineer, Raytheon Intelligence and Space, told Warrior in an interview.

From Fox News

In tandem with Countervail, Raytheon cyber engineers and scientists have developed a new small form-factor physical card called Boot Shield.

From Fox News