commensurable
|com-men-su-ra-ble|
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/kəˈmɛnʃ(ə)rəbəl/
🇬🇧
/kəˈmɛns(ə)rəb(ə)l/
measured by a common standard
Etymology
'commensurable' originates from Latin, specifically the Late Latin word 'commensurabilis', where 'com-' meant 'with/together' and 'mensura' meant 'measure'.
'commensurable' entered English via Medieval/Latin forms (Late Latin 'commensurabilis') and Middle English adaptations, eventually becoming the modern English 'commensurable'.
Initially it meant 'able to be measured by the same measure' in a literal, measurement sense; over time it has broadened to a general sense of 'comparable' or 'proportionate' as well as retaining the technical mathematical meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
able to be measured by the same standard or measure; comparable in size, extent, or degree so that meaningful comparison is possible.
The budgets of the two departments are not commensurable, so a direct comparison would be misleading.
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Adjective 2
(mathematics) Having a common measure; of two quantities whose ratio is a rational number.
If two line segments are commensurable, there exists a unit length that measures both exactly.
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Last updated: 2025/12/17 21:49