comparable
/ˈkɒmpəəbəl/KAHM-pur-uh-buhl
/ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/KAHM-pur-uh-buhl
Meaningable to be compared
Common meaning: similar enough to set side by side
- comwith, together
- parequal, evenly matchedLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1300 · scan
- ableable to be
‘with, together’ + ‘equal, evenly matched’ → comparable
Journey through time
- Latinpār, paris‘equal, evenly matched’
- Frenchcomparer
- Englishcompare‘to look at likeness and difference’
- Englishformed in English from comparecomparable‘similar enough to set side by side’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from compare + -able.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), COMPARE, p.124 · scan
Roots
- pār, paris Latin “equal, evenly matched”
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