Etymologically
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comparable

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/, /kəmˈpæɹəbəl/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, borrowed from Old French comparable,[2][3][4] from Latin comparabilis (“capable of comparison”), from comparāre, to make equal with, liken (see compare).[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Able to be compared: 1413 in the OED, the early 15th century in Etymonline.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Worthy of comparison, fit to be compared to something, is from 1483.[5] Comparableness is from 1731.[5]

Timeline

  • 1413 – able to be compared.[5]
  • 1483 – worthy of comparison.[5]
  • 1731 – comparableness.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Able to be compared with another.
  2. Similar or equivalent; worthy of comparison.

Word family

  • comparability
  • comparably
  • comparableness
  • intercomparable
  • incomparable
  • uncomparable
  • comparable worth

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press