Poised means calm and composed, or ready to act at any moment. Poised and confident, poised to strike, poised for growth.
The two senses share an image of balance held: a poised person is balanced in manner, and something poised to happen is balanced on the edge of happening. The second is the commoner in journalism, where everything is always poised to do something. Note poise; and that the word comes from the Latin for weighing.
1adjectivecalmCalm and composed.
“She remained poised and polite, even when the audience started shouting.”
2adjectivepoisedReady to act at any moment.
“The runners crouched at the start line, poised to spring forward.”
poised is a quality of balance or readiness.
Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire