First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
countervail
verb coun·ter·vail \ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈvāl\
Definition of COUNTERVAIL
transitive verb
1
: to compensate for
3
: to exert force against : counteract
intransitive verb
: to exert force against an opposing and often bad or harmful force or influence
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Origin of COUNTERVAIL
Middle English countrevailen, from Anglo-French cuntrevaloir, from cuntre- counter- + valoir to be worth, from Latin valēre — more at wield
Rhymes with COUNTERVAIL
abigail, altar rail, armored scale, audit trail, aventail, beavertail, bristletail, button quail, clapper rail, coffin nail, Corriedale, cottontail, Coverdale, direct mail, disentail, draggle-tail, fairy tale, farthingale, fingernail, forestaysail, gaff-topsail, galingale, garage sale, ginger ale, Holy Grail, humpback whale, Irish mail, killer whale, macroscale, martingale, microscale, monorail, montadale, nanoscale, nightingale, Nightingale, old wives' tale, overscale, paper trail, pilot whale, ponytail, purple scale, romeldale, rummage sale, sliding scale, solar sail, studding sail, Sunnyvale, swallowtail, tattletale, tooth and nail, tripletail, trundle-tail, vapor trail, yellowtail
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