scale рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╣реИрдВ? scale рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╣реИрдВ? A scale insect.A plant disease or infestation caused by scale insects.One of the many small platelike dermal or epidermal structures that characteristically form the external covering of fishes, reptiles, and certain mammals. A similar part, such as one of the minute structures overlapping to form the covering on the wings of butterflies and moths.Pathology A dry thin flake of epidermis shed from the skin.A small thin piece.Botany A small, thin, usually dry, often appressed plant structure, such as any of the protective leaves that cover a tree bud or the bract that subtends a flower in a sedge spikelet.A flaky oxide film formed on a metal, as on iron, that has been heated to high temperatures.A flake of rust.A hard mineral coating that forms on the inside surface of boilers, kettles, and other containers in which water is repeatedly heated.To clear or strip of scale or scales: Scale and clean the fish. To remove in layers or scales: scaled off the old paint. To cover with scales; encrust.To throw (a thin flat object) so that it soars through the air or skips along the surface of water.Dentistry To remove (tartar) from tooth surfaces with a pointed instrument.Australian To cheat; swindle.Australian To ride on (a tram or train, for example) without paying the fare.To come off in scales or layers; flake.To become encrusted.A system of ordered marks at fixed intervals used as a reference standard in measurement: a ruler with scales in inches and centimeters. An instrument or device bearing such marks.A standard of measurement or judgment; a criterion.A proportion used in determining the dimensional relationship of a representation to that which it represents: a world map with a scale of 1:4,560,000. A calibrated line, as on a map or an architectural plan, indicating such a proportion.Proper proportion: a house that seemed out of scale with its surroundings.