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dispar

Etymology and origin of the Latin word dispar

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Accius
Ultimate origin
Latin (dis-,pār)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈdɪs.paːr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdis.par][1]

Forms

dispār (genitive disparis); third-declension one-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of dis- and pār “equal”.[2][3][1] De Vaan finds the origin of the long vowel of ⟨pār⟩ disputed, perhaps from ⟨*parVs⟩, and compares Umbrian ⟨pars⟩ “prescribed”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Accius, “unequal”.[2] Köbler dates Accius 170–c. 90 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant unequal in quantity or worth, as in Accius, and in Cicero different in kind, unlike, dissimilar, as in dispar alicui “different from someone”.[2][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means unlike, unequal, different.[7] Medieval Latin used it for one who is not a peer.[8] It survives as Spanish dispar, and German disparat is from it.[1][5]

Timeline

  • 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the dissimilar.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Unequal.[2]
  2. Unlike, dissimilar, different.[2][9]
  3. (Medieval Latin, noun) One who is not a peer.[8]
  • pār
  • impār
  • English disparity
  • English disparate

Usage notes

Lewis & Short give impar, dissimilis and absimilis as synonyms.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Dispar.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/dispar. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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