proportion

B1 Topic:Architecture & Buildings

Also spelled proportiton

US /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/ UK /pɹəˈpɔːʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #12081

Meanings

1

noun
A part of a whole, especially when compared to the rest.

A large proportion of the students walk to school.
2

noun
The relationship in size, amount, or degree between two or more things.

The amount of sugar should be in proportion to the amount of flour.
3

noun
The way the parts of something relate to each other in size, creating a pleasing balance.

The new chair has beautiful proportions.
4

noun
The size or extent of something, especially when large.

The fire spread until it reached enormous proportions.
5

verb
To adjust something so its parts are in correct relation to each other.

The architect carefully proportioned the windows to the height of the walls.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the relationship in size,... ratio

3 noun · the way the parts of... balance

4 noun · the size or extent of... dimension

Word family

Forms proportionedproportioningproportions

Derived forms disproportion disproportionateequiproportionmisproportionoverproportionproportionable proportional proportionally proportionateproportionerproportionizeproportionless

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

direct proportion
a relationship in which two quantities change while maintaining a constant ratio

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made

Etymology

From Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō (“comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy”), from pro (“for, before”) + portio (“share, part”); see portion.

proporcion Middle English proportion Old French prōportiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Architecture & Buildings Abstract Ideas

External links

# proportion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /pɹəˈpɔːʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 12081

## Meanings
1. A part of a whole, especially when compared to the rest.
2. The relationship in size, amount, or degree between two or more things.
3. The way the parts of something relate to each other in size, creating a pleasing balance.
4. The size or extent of something, especially when large.
5. To adjust something so its parts are in correct relation to each other.

## Examples
- A large proportion of the students walk to school.
- The amount of sugar should be in proportion to the amount of flour.
- The new chair has beautiful proportions.
- The fire spread until it reached enormous proportions.
- The architect carefully proportioned the windows to the height of the walls.

## Derived Forms
- disproportion
- disproportionate
- equiproportion
- misproportion
- overproportion
- proportionable
- proportional
- proportionally
- proportionate
- proportioner
- proportionize
- proportionless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: proporcion
- Root: proportion
- Root: prōportiō

## Etymology
From Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō (“comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy”), from pro (“for, before”) + portio (“share, part”); see portion.

## AI Etymology
Proportion comes from Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō (“comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy”), from pro (“for, before”) + portio (“share, part”); see portion. The historical chain includes proporcion (Middle English), proportion (Old French), prōportiō (Latin). In present-day English it covers a part of a whole, especially when compared to the rest, the relationship in size, amount, or degree between two or more things, and the way the parts of something relate to each other in size, creating a pleasing balance. The wider family includes derived forms such as disproportion, disproportionate, equiproportion, misproportion, overproportion.

## Topics
- Architecture & Buildings
- Abstract Ideas

markdown