Commensurate means equal in measure or extent or proportionate to something else, derived from the Latin word for measure.
Commensurate means equal in measure or extent, or proportionate to something else. It comes from the Latin word for measure.
| Word | commensurate |
|---|---|
| Date | September 25, 2007 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | kuh-MEN-suh-rut |
| Etymology | "Commensurate" is a word that really measures up. And no wonder -- it's a descendant of the Latin noun "mensura," meaning "measure," from "mensus," past participle of "metiri" ("to measure"). In the first recorded use of "commensurate," which comes from 1641, the adjective was used as a synonym of "coextensive." It didn't take long for "commensurate" to be used to mean "proportionate" as well. Henry James used this sense in The American when he wrote, "The stakes were high and the risk was great; the prize therefore must have been commensurate." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | "Salary commensurate with experience," the job advertisement read. |
| Definition | 1 : equal in measure or extent : coextensive 2 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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