"poised" in the verb sense

1. poise

be motionless, in suspension

"The bird poised for a few moments before it attacked"

2. brace, poise

prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult

3. poise

cause to be balanced or suspended

4. poise, balance

hold or carry in equilibrium

"poised" in the adjective sense

1. poised

marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action

"a gull in poised flight"

"George's poised hammer"

2. collected, equanimous, poised, self-collected, self-contained, self-possessed

in full control of your faculties

"the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination"

"perfectly poised and sure of himself"

"more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen"

"strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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