incommensurability
|in-com-men-sur-a-bil-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ɪnˌkɑːmɛnʃərəˈbɪlɪti/
🇬🇧
/ɪnˌkɒmɛnʃərəˈbɪlɪti/
not measurable by the same standard
Etymology
'incommensurability' originates from Latin elements: the negative prefix 'in-' meaning 'not', plus 'com-' (together) and 'mensura' meaning 'measure', combined with the English nominalizing suffix '-ity'.
'commensurability' derives from Latin 'commensurabilis' ('com-' + 'mensura'), which passed into Medieval and Middle English as 'commensurable'; the negative form with 'in-' produced 'incommensurable', and the noun 'incommensurability' developed from that adjective in later English.
Initially the root sense referred specifically to lacking a common measure (a concrete measuring meaning); over time it broadened to abstract senses such as incompatibility of standards, theories, or values while retaining the original mathematical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the property of two quantities that cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers (i.e., having no common measure); the mathematical sense often used to describe irrational relationships.
The incommensurability of the diagonal and the side of a square was a major discovery in ancient Greek mathematics.
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Noun 2
the state of being unable to be compared, evaluated, or measured by the same standard or metric; often used in philosophy, science, and cultural studies (e.g., incommensurability of theories or paradigms).
Kuhn argued that scientific revolutions involve the incommensurability of competing paradigms, making translation between them difficult.
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Last updated: 2025/09/27 16:59