proportionn.
/prəˈpɔːʃn/, U.S. /prəˈpɔrʃ(ə)n/ I. General uses.† 4. The action of proportioning something, or of making something proportionate; proportionate estimation, reckoning, or adjustment. Obsolete.† 5. Form, shape; configuration (of the limbs of the body, etc.); a likeness, a figure. Obsolete (poetic in later use).In quot. c1450 in plural: (apparently) lineaments.† 7. A quantity, amount, or number of something (without explicit reference to any larger whole). Obsolete.
1.
a. Appropriate, fitting, or pleasing relation (of size, etc.) between things or parts of a thing; due relation of one part to another; balance, symmetry, harmony.In early use sometimes in plural in same sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > symmetry or regularity > [noun]
proportiona1382
measurec1384
symmetry1601
symmetry1601
conformity1607
regularness1648
balance1733
regularity1758
symmetricalness1858
symmetricality1893
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [noun] > due proportion or proportionateness
proportiona1382
equality1447
proportioningc1450
temperance1471
temperancy1526
proportionality1545
commensurability1570
equability1576
proportionableness1606
apportionateness1645
proportionateness1658
commensurateness1661
proportionability1697
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xli. 4 He trowide hym to stonden vpon a flode, of þe which steyden vp seuen faire oxen..& oþer seuen out comen of þe flode, foule & al ouer~coomyn with lenenesse..& þey deuowrden hem of whome was merueylouse feyrnes & proporcyon [a1425 L.V. comelynesse; L. habitudo] of bodyse.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 31 Drynes sleeþ and is þe werste qualite whanne it passiþ þe proporciouns [L. proportionem] in bodyes.
?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 178v (MED) A surgen owe to ordeyne..euerye þinge after his degre in dewe maner and bi proporcioun, þat is to seien, stronge medicines to stronge folke and febel medicines to febel folke.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xxix. 112 Well made of her membres, eche in his qualyte, and ryght egall in proporcyon, without eny dyfformyte.
1561 T. Norton & T. Sackville Gorboduc iv. ii. 239 His noble limmes in such proportion cast As would have wrapt a sillie womans thought.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxxiii. 214 Choice seeketh rather proportion then absolute perfection of goodnesse.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xiii. 183 Let thy recreations..bear proportion with thine age.
1723 E. Chambers tr. S. Le Clerc Treat. Archit. I. 29 By Proportion I don't here mean, a Relation of Ratio's as the Geometricians do; but a Suitableness of parts, founded on the good Taste of the Architect.
1754 T. Chippendale Gentleman & Cabinet-maker's Director 22 The proportion and harmony of the several parts will then be view'd with advantage.
a1832 J. Mackintosh Hist. Revol. Eng. (1834) i. 9 He never obtained an importance which bore any proportion to his great abilities.
1885 Proc. Musical Assoc. 1884–5 94 In each of these arts we speak of..harmony, proportion, balance of parts, quaintness, brilliancy, and many other such terms.
a1931 E. Pound in Make it New (1935) vii. 349 Whether it is necessary to modernize or nordicize our terminology..I leave to the reader's own taste and sense of proportion.
1988 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator 19 Apr. f6/5 Serious photographers interested in line, balance and proportion should find the exhibition an instructive eye-opener.
2005 Evening Post (Nottingham) (Nexis) 27 Dec. 12 They certainly seemed to understand scale, proportion and taste.
b. out of proportion: lacking, or so as to lack, appropriate relation (to something else); unbalanced, disproportionate; esp. disproportionately large; exaggerated, overemphasized. Also more emphatically out of all proportion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > disharmony or incongruity > unsuitability or inappropriateness > unsuitable or inappropriate [phrase] > disproportionate
out of proportion1579
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 168 His head was somwhat to long and out of proportion to the rest of his bodie.
1582 R. Mulcaster 1st Pt. Elementarie Peroration 249 Be there not enemies to the common end, being growen out of proportion?
1664 J. Evelyn Sylva (1776) 217 Poplars and Abeles [on] coming to be very old are apt to grow knurry and out of proportion.
1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 359 If the pomp exceed the character, and be carry'd out of proportion.
1790 J. White Jrnl. Voy. New S. Wales 179 Its hinder parts..are..out of proportion, when compared with the fore parts.
1797 E. Burke Lett. Peace Regic. France iii, in Wks. (1815) VIII. 381 The rise in the last year..is enormously out of all proportion.
1831 J. Keble Serm. (1848) v. 116 Civil liberty..is usually allowed to fill a space in our thoughts, out of all proportion to that which it fills in the plan of happiness drawn out in the Bible.
1879 H. James Confidence I. xvi. 237 It was a feeling of unbounded expansion, quite out of proportion, as he said to himself.
1932 B. Segale At End of Sante Fe Trail i. x. 65 The whole leg was mortified and swollen out of proportion.
1937 V. Woolf Years 128 Her emotion seemed to him out of all proportion to its object.
1987 F. Wyndham Other Garden v. 67 Her despair had been out of all proportion to its immediate cause.
2005 Scotsman (Nexis) 18 Aug. 10 Many modern kit houses are too wide and so the roofs look out of proportion.
c. in proportion: at the appropriate level of importance; without undue emphasis; in perspective. Cf. sense 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suitable or appropriate [phrase] > in (due) proportion
after the rate1427
with respects1590
in proportion1884
1884 O. W. Wight Maxims Public Health 21 Let us have things in proportion, in sanitation as elsewhere.
1915 J. Galsworthy Freelands xxiv. 250 This was especially Stanley's view, and he took the opportunity to say to Felix: ‘Look here, old man, the thing is, of course, to see it in proportion.’
1961 Listener 24 Aug. 293/3 It is good from time to time to reach out au-dessus de la mêlée in the hope of seeing the rapidly changing musical scene in proportion.
1975 Economist (Nexis) 10 May 124 This biography does not attempt to conceal Newcastle's consistent weaknesses and occasional vilenesses, but it keeps them in proportion.
1996 H. Fielding Bridget Jones's Diary (1997) 157 ‘Isn't it dreadful what's happening in Srebrenica,’ I chattered maniacally to try to put our problems in proportion.
2. † c. In extended use: a relation between things in regard to nature, type, etc., rather than size or quantity; comparison; analogy, correspondence; (also) an analogue. Obsolete.
a. The relation existing between one thing and another in terms of size, quantity, number, or the like; comparative relation, ratio. Also: the fact of being in a specified (good, large, etc.) relation in respect of size, quantity, etc.
(a) In singular.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > [noun] > proportion or ratio
numbera1387
proportiona1387
compassc1400
quantity1556
proport1565
Numb.1653
scale1662
ratio1663
ration1728
the world > relative properties > number > ratio or proportion > [noun] > equal or constant
proportiona1387
analogy?a1425
direct proportion1636
direct ratio1702
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 45 (MED) Þe proporcioun [L. proportio] of þe roundenesse aboute of a cercle is to þe brede as is þe proporcioun [L. proportio] of two and twenty to seuene.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 346 (MED) Þouȝ I sette proporcioun of poudris & oile & wex, neþeles þou schalt proporcioun þi þingis more or lasse as þou seest þat þou hast nede þerto.
a1425 ( H. Daniel Liber Uricrisiarum (Wellcome 225) 86 (MED) Becaus of inequalite of humors, id est, because of unevyne proporcion & excess..we are all day unheyle & unstabyll.
a1450 Musical Treat. in Speculum (1935) 10 265 Proporcion is a comparison of 2o. þinges be encheson of numbir or of quantite, like or vnlike eyþir to oþir..Proporcion of equalite is whan 2o. euyn þingis be likenyd eyþir sette to~gedir in comparison, as 2o. to 2o., or 4 to 4, & so of oþir.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 120 (MED) And so the divine science hath no maner proporcion with the knowelage of man, and [thu] oughtest not to iuge His vndirstonding for thyne.
1557 R. Record Whetstone of Witte sig. Bi Any .2. nombers maie haue comparison and proportion together, although thei be incommensurable. As .3. and .4.
1599 Life Sir T. More in C. Wordsworth Eccl. Biogr. (1853) II. 183 All the parts of his bodie were in good proportion, and congruous as a man could wish.
1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. e4 The Proportion of the Sun and Moon.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 33 They put in this Powder, to the proportion of a good spoonful for three Dishes or Cups full of Water.
1692 R. Bentley Boyle Lect. iii. 21 The proportion of Births to Burials is found..to be yearly as Fifty to Forty.
1741 P. Tailfer et al. Narr. Georgia 97 The Proportion of Pine Barren to either good Swamp or Oak and Hickory Land, is at least six to one.
1789 W. J. Alldridge Goldsmith's Repository p. x The proportion of Silver to Gold in the assay piece should be as 2 or 3 to 1.
1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision III. vi. 124 It is part of our delight, to measure Our wages with the merit; and admire The close proportion.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. i. x. §3 The population exhibits, in every quinquennial census, a smaller proportion of births to the population.
1893 Leisure Hour 679 The bulk a ship displaces must be in small proportion to the depth beneath her keel if it is to spread itself readily around her.
1911 C. J. Hogarth tr. V. O. Kluchevsky Hist. Russia I. xiii. 203 The Great Russian stock stands to the Little Russian in the proportion of three to one, and the Little Russian to the White Russian in a similar ratio.
1953 G. E. Fogg Metabolism of Algae vi. 103 The proportion of ribonucleic acid to protein is as high as 6 to 10 per cent in actively growing cells.
1986 Electronic Musician Aug. 3/2 (advt.) Mix sounds in any proportion, or use the Merge function to create hybrid sounds.
2005 A. Williams Sculpt. Ref. Illustr. 345 The points are drilled to depth..and then the encircled material is removed until the correct proportion is achieved.
(b) In plural.In early use sometimes with singular agreement.
ΚΠ
a1475 Recipe Painting in Archæol. Jrnl. (1844) 1 153 (MED) Thanne loke thou have to v li. of copur, a potel of vynegre, and therto li. ij and half [of copper], a quart of vynegre; and this is the proporciouns of this craft, and thus thou maist chese how myche thou wolt make.
c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. lxxij/2 Fede it wyth pisse and wood asshes too this proporcions for eueri .C. of the orchel x. ll. wood asshes.
1783 Encycl. Brit. X. 8172/1 An alloy of red copper and zinc, made in the best proportions, to imitate silver and gold.
a1806 S. Horsley Serm. (1816) I. iv. 75 Who is he that shall determine in what proportions the attributes of justice and mercy, forbearance and severity, ought to be mixed up in the character of the Supreme Governor of the universe?
1880 C. A. Janvier Pract. Keramics 154 The proportions..for the best glaze are about ten of petrosilex and water (stone-oil) to one of lime and water (fern oil, lime oil).
1912 ‘Saki’ Unbearable Bassington x. 186 I know the ingredients of course, but it's the proportions that make such a difference—just how much liver to how much chestnut.
1986 S. R. Donaldson Mirror of her Dreams (1987) Prol. 3 He couldn't be trusted to mix sand and tinct without spilling some and destroying the proportions.
2002 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 16 Jan. f4 About a tablespoon of butter per potato and enough cream and milk in equal proportions to achieve the desired consistency.
b. in (also †for, †of, †with) proportion: in a known or specific proportion to something else, or as something else varies; proportionately. Formerly also with †of, †unto. Also without construction: proportionately, commensurately. Cf. later in proportion at sense 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective] > that is in due proportion or proportionate > proportionate to
in (also for, of, with) proportiona1393
convenientc1405
affeiring1536
measurable1541
equivalent1575
commensurable1645
commoderate1650
correspondenta1656
commensurate1657
commeasurable1658
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 2531 (MED) In non other wise hem longeth To love, bot thei profit finde..For after that sche hath richesse, Her love is of proporcion.
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 210 (MED) Newe wyne is hote in þe firste degre and olde wyne in þe þridde degre..and þe dryenesses þerof ben of proporcioun to þe hotenesses.
1480 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 71/2 Þat þe saidis macolme & Arthure sall pay in like proporcioune of þe said annuel.
1563–4 in R. Adam Edinb. Rec. (1899) I. 447 Makand thame [sc. three windows] to be of proportioun of the north end of the heycht Tolbuith.
1603 G. de Malynes Englands View 181 Gold is more portable and better to be conueyed, especially being beyond the seas taken by valuation to hold in proportion to the siluer 12 to 1.
1637 G. Sandys Relation of Journey ii. 121 His tongue, of a marvelous length for proportion [1615 for the proportion] of his body.
1660 T. Willsford Scales Commerce & Trade 1 In proportion unto the rate it may be sold for.
1677 tr. A.-N. Amelot de La Houssaie Hist. Govt. Venice 196 There being no Nobleman (with proportion) so well recompenced as they, no not the Doge himself.
1723 tr. F. C. Weber Present State Russia I. 53 Ordering how many Men each Governor is to raise in Proportion of his Jurisdiction.
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. vi. 118 As to his Size, I would have him full Fifteen Hands, nay, I would not differ for his being Sixteen, provided he was strong in Proportion.
1768 A. Young Six Weeks Tour Southern Counties 224 The prices of butter vary, in proportion to the distance of London.
1843 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters I. 75 Every truth is valuable in proportion as it is characteristic of the thing of which it is affirmed.
1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. ii. xii. 284 Margaret's credulity seems to have been in proportion to her hatred, and her hatred in proportion to her former friendship.
1910 Amer. Econ. Assoc. Q. 11 225 It does not necessarily follow that the earnings..are increased in proportion as the train load increases.
1957 N.Y. Times 5 May iii. 1/7 British Government employees multiply by about 5 per cent a year even though their total work output does not increase in proportion.
1990 Taxation & Environmental Policy (Inst. Fiscal Stud.) Comm. No. 19. 2 Taxing those who damage the environment in proportion to the damage they do.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun]
evennessOE
eveningc1225
collationc1374
respitea1382
comparison1393
proportion?a1425
resemblance?a1439
comparation1483
comparing1489
commensuration1526
parificationc1537
conferring1561
paragon1590
counter-scale1645
counterbalance1647
collibration1656
confrontation1665
similituding1681
simile1682
confronting1887
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equal, counterpart, or equivalent
ylikeeOE
likea1200
make?c1225
fellow?a1425
proportion?a1425
countervailc1430
matcha1450
meetc1450
pareil?c1450
resemblant1484
equivalent1502
countermatch1587
second1599
parallel1600
equipollent1611
balancea1616
tantamount1637
analogy1646
analogate1652
form-fellow1659
equivalency1698
par1711
homologizer1716
peel1722
analogon1797
quits1806
correlate1821
analogue1837
representant1847
homologue1848
countertype1855
homologon1871
correlative1875
vis-à-vis1900
counterpart1903
the world > relative properties > relationship > [noun]
yokeOE
relationa1398
respecta1398
report1523
society?1545
habitude1561
conjugation1605
necessitudea1626
attinency1632
dependencea1634
belonginga1648
respectiveness1650
nexure1652
synapsis1655
relative1657
rapport1660
proportion1664
schesis1678
relationship1724
appurtenance1846
relationality1866
interosculation1883
tie-up1927
tie-in1934
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 29v As þe signez, forsoþ, war ytaken after proporcioun [?c1425 Paris anologie; L. analogiam] to signez of flegmon, so be þe helpes to proporcioun of [?c1425 Paris to þe anologie of; L. analogiam] þe cure of þat.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 101 Entendible ensaumples..ben comown both to the symple men and to the wise men, and printe them firmely in thi courages for the proporcion and the qualite of singler causes that we haue with princes and othir aventures.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer i. f. cccxxxiiiiv Hath not manne beynge with stones, soule of wexyng with trees and herbes. Hath he nat soule of felynge, with beestes, fysshes, and foules, and he hath soule of reason and vnderstandyng with aungels, so that in him is knytte al maner of lyuenges by a reasonable proporcioun.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Addicion Analogia, conueniency or proporcion, whose propretie is to conferre that which is doutfull, with that whiche is like to it, whiche is more certayne, to make it more playne.
1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor 4 Neither is [there] in a humane Monarchie what hath not in their [sc. the Bees'] Commonwelth some remarquable proportion.
1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. ii. 75 Oaths are but words, and words but wind,..And hold with deeds proportion, so As shadows to a substance do.
1690 J. Norris Christian Blessedness 2 He was to be a Law-giver, as well as Moses. And to carry on the proportion yet further, he thought fit to imitate him in the very manner and circumstance of delivering his Law.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence v. 250 The Agreement and Proportion that is between Sleep and Sin,..so that Sin is a kind of Spiritual Sleep.
1779 G. White Let. 7 May in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 259 The flamingo..bears no manner of proportion to the himantopus.
1824 J. Mackintosh Speech in Commons 15 June in Wks. (1846) III. 462 What proportion does the contest bear to the country in which it prevails?
3.
a. Size, extent, magnitude, scale, esp. in relation to some standard; relative or comparative size. Also figurative: extent, degree. full proportion n. now archaic life size, full scale.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] > relative
afferanta1325
proportionc1390
symmetry1563
the world > relative properties > quantity > degree or relative amount of a quality, action, etc. > [noun]
prickOE
degreec1380
greec1386
largenessa1398
rate1523
size1534
pitcha1568
pin1584
scantling1586
intension1604
assize1625
proportion1641
process1655
to a certain extent1671
intensity1794
level1897
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [phrase] > full-size > in full size
at large1592
full proportionc1710
c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 9 Elleuene foot, or litel moore or lesse, My shadwe was at thilke tyme as there Of swiche feet as my lengthe parted were In sixe feet equal of proporcioun [v.r. proporocione].
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. 701 (MED) Also ther ben signes tuelve..And as thei stonden in degre, Here [sc. the planets'] cercles more or lasse be, Mad after the proporcion Of therthe..And be this skile a man mai knowe The more that thei stonden lowe, The more ben the cercles lasse.
c1450 J. Capgrave Solace of Pilgrims (Bodl. 423) (1911) 84 This man..hith jon a holy man deuoute iuste and trewe whech had a wif of þe same proporcioun in holynesse deuocioun rithwisnesse and treuth.
1516 R. Fabyan New Chron. Eng. vi. clvi. f. lxxiiiiv His Body was .viii. foote long, and his Armes and Leggys well lengthed and strengthed after the proporcion of ye Body.
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. Iv The proporcion of ye lesse [perh. read leffe] is much like vnto a water rose, otherwyse called nunefar.
1583 in C. L. Kingsford Rep. MSS Ld. de l'Isle & Dudley (1925) I. 290 An other picture of my Lord, in halfe proportion don in blacke garmentes.
1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 230 Cornelius à Lapide,..whose volumes are swelled to that proportion that they take up halfe a Classis in our publique Libraries.
1677 A. Marvell Acct. Growth Popery 155 He is an ill Woodman that knows not the size of the Beast by the proportion of his Excrement.
c1710 C. Fiennes Diary 125 Hung with pictures att full proportion of ye Royal family.
1757 M. Postlethwayt Great Britain's True Syst. vi. 138 The excessive Proportion of over-grown Fortunes, obtained by trading with the Government.
1798 N.-Y. Daily Advertiser 31 Dec. 3/3 (advt.) He makes Portraits in coloured wax of every proportion, from the natural size down to the smallest miniature.
1814 W. Scott Waverley I. viii. 110 It must not be forgotten that all sorts of bears, small and large, demi or in full proportion, were carved over the windows. View more context for this quotation
1888 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 9 Jan. Two hundred men are now at work trying to stop the break but it is of such immense proportion that their work is unavailing.
1933 O. St. J. Gogarty Sel. Poems 88 We, Reflected in that mighty glass, shall see,In full proportion, power at which we guessed.
2005 Africa News (Nexis) 3 Dec. Tension is building up and might build up to a proportion that might lead to an explosion.
b. In plural. Dimensions; relative measurements; (now also more generally) scale, magnitude.Now more common than the singular.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun]
greatness1381
measurea1382
quantitya1387
muchnessa1398
sizea1400
largec1400
micklec1400
moisonc1400
of suingc1400
bignessc1475
assize1481
proportions1481
bodya1500
dimension1529
measuring1529
wideness1535
bind1551
corporance1570
magnitude1570
mickledom1596
amplitude1599
breadth1609
extendure1613
extension1614
extent1623
extensure1631
dimense1632
dimensity1655
bulkiness1674
bulksomeness1674
admeasurement1754
calliper1819
acreage1846
1481 tr. Cicero De Senectute (Caxton) sig. e6 Geometrye and astronomye whiche be two souerayne sciences for to mete and mesure the proporcions of heuen and the erthe.
1550 T. Cranmer Def. Sacrament f. 55v Makyng of one body of Christ .ii. bodyes, and ii. natures, one whiche is in heauen,..hauing al membres and proportions of a most perfect natural man, & an other which they say is in erth.
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. f. 132 This is the propre trueth of a body, to be conteined in space, to consist of his mesured proportions, to haue his forme.
1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 10 A few very moderate and easie documents of meet proportions.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. iii. 30 Not captivated by the Lineaments of a fair Face, or the well-drawn Proportions of a human Body.
1771 J. Macpherson Introd. Hist. Great Brit. & Ireland 217 Some are by nature mere pigmies, others of gigantic proportions.
1846 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. in Wks. II. 155/1 Few..have beheld their contemporaries in those proportions in which they appeared a century later.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xvi. 96 The ice-crags..seemed of gigantic proportions.
1947 Life 17 Nov. 135/1 (advt.) Taller and healthier than their ancestors, many modern Americans approach the ideal proportions of the ‘Muscular’ type, or mesomorph.
1956 Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune 9 Oct. 1/7 Our failure could be a calamity of immense proportions.
1988 J. Bayley Short Story ii. 41 Miss Leary has the ‘heroic proportions’ of the Venus de Milo.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > [noun] > in due proportion
proportionc1395
commoderation?a1425
modulation1531
commensuration1626
proportionment1697
c1395 G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale 1286 Whan he hadde founde his firste mansioun, He knew the remenaunt by proporcioun.
a1483 Liber Niger in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) 69 To make proportion for the expenses of this houshold for an hoole yere.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. iv. 19 Would thou hadst lesse deseru'd, That the proportion both of thanks, and payment, Might haue beene mine. View more context for this quotation
1625 W. Guild Ignis Fatuus 54 The Lord not hauing meanes..to make proportion betweene his Iustice, and mans sinne some way, hee chuseth an infinite time: because the person punished, is no wayes match with the partie offended.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > [noun]
hue971
shapec1050
form1297
casta1300
entailc1320
fashionc1320
featurec1325
tailc1325
suitc1330
figuringc1385
figure1393
makinga1398
fasurec1400
facea1402
makec1425
proportionc1425
figuration?a1475
protracture1551
physiognomy1567
set1567
portraiturea1578
imagerya1592
model1597
plasmature1610
figurature1642
scheme1655
morphosis1675
turn1675
plasma1712
mould1725
format1936
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation
ylikenesseOE
likenessOE
anlikenessOE
ylikeOE
imagec1300
acornc1388
portraiturea1393
resemblancea1393
semblanta1400
counterfeitc1400
shapec1400
statuec1405
representation1477
presentationa1513
presentment1535
effigy1539
porture1542
express1553
effigium1564
representance1565
designment1570
icon1572
mimesisa1586
effigies1615
expressurea1616
represent1615
signature1618
proportion1678
representative1766
rendering1825
buggerlugs1839
effigiation1876
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 1034 (MED) Þis ymage, by diuisioun, Was of schap and..proporcioun From hed to foot..maisterly entayled.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 5142 (MED) A purtrayour in preuate scho prays..to pas, And his personele proporcions in perchemen hire bring.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 259/1 Proporcyon of a beest, lineature.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. xiii. 13 A croked pece of wodd..he geueth it some proporcion, fashioneth it after the similitude of a man, or maketh it like some beest.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie iii. iv. 76 b The figure following doth liuely represent vnto you the proportion of the Ianissary.
1609 T. Heywood Troia Britanica viii. p. xxxv Though seuerall byrths, yet twins they seemed rather And both the true proportions of their Father.
1678 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 411 On the top of the said monument layes the short proportion of a man.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 149 It cost me a Month to shape it, and dub it to a Proportion, and to something like the Bottom of a Boat.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Two Voices in Poems (new ed.) II. 117 She gave him mind, the lordliest Proportion, and,..Dominion in the head and breast.
6.
a. A part or portion considered in relation to the whole; a share, a fraction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun]
deala800
doleOE
endOE
lotlOE
partyc1300
parta1325
specec1330
portiona1387
piecec1400
proportion1443
parcellingc1449
faction1577
piecemeal1603
proportional1856
1443 in J. B. Paul Registrum Magni Sigilli Scotorum (1882) II. 85/1 Thre pundis..to be payit..in evynly proporciones.
1542 in C. Rogers Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1880) II. 27 Payand..ȝeirlie..at tuay vsuall termes in the ȝeir,..be evin proportiones.
1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 213 According to the working of euerie part in his proportion.
1672 in P. H. Brown Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1910) 3rd Ser. III. 490 To cast the severall shyres their proportiones of the thousand foot appoynted to be raised.
1708 T. Baker Refl. Learning xii. 181 They differed almost forty Degrees in their Calculations, which is a large Proportion of the whole Globe.
1750 J. Campbell Present State Europe x. 281 A very large Proportion of the Debt was, if not paid, at least resolved into Waste Paper.
1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) v. 141 The strong bent of nature is seen in the proportion which this topic..usurps in the conversation of society.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 73 The sea which covers so large a proportion of the earth's surface.
1911 Q. Jrnl. Econ. 25 205 Having acquired this substantial proportion of the capital stock, the next step was to bring about a rise in its market quotations.
1988 Which? July 333/1 A small proportion of those who try cannabis do go on to try heroin.
2002 B. McKinney Ledge i. 9 John obtained a fair proportion of his tapes from America.
b. An allotted portion (of land, etc.). Now historical and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > an allotted share, portion, or part > [noun]
dealc825
lotOE
dolea1225
partc1300
portion?1316
sort1382
parcelc1400
skiftc1400
pane1440
partagec1450
shift1461
skair1511
allotment1528
snapshare1538
share1539
slice1548
fee1573
snap1575
moiety1597
snatch1601
allotterya1616
proportiona1616
symbol1627
dealth1637
quantum1649
cavelc1650
snip1655
sortition1671
snack1683
quota1688
contingency1723
snick1723
contingent1728
whack1785
divvy1872
end1903
bite1925
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) i. ii. 304 Therefore let our proportions for these Warres Be soone collected. View more context for this quotation
1632 in S. R. Gardiner Rep. Cases Star Chamber & High Comm. (1886) 267 What proportion of maintenance shall be allowed her for Alimony?
1700 in J. A. Picton City of Liverpool: Select. Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 291 Persons may come and peticion for proportions to build on.
1822 Chalmers Speech Gen. Assembly in Wks. XVI. 158 Each parish is divided into districts called proportions, over which an elder is appointed.
1982 S. J. Brown Thomas Chalmers & Godly Commonw. Scotl. vii. 351 The society would divide the district into twenty sub-districts, or ‘proportions’, with a society member assigned to each proportion to conduct regular household visitations, collect information regarding neighbourhood needs, [etc.].
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > relative quantity or amount
i-metOE
metheOE
measure1552
proportion1603
scale1607
1603 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Hist. Descr. Worlde 22 It bringeth not forth Mules nor Asses, but of horse infinite proportions [It. mà ben caualli infiniti].
a1630 F. Moryson in Shakespeare's Europe (1903) iv. iii. 372 The Netherlanders, who make infinite proportians of hangings for houses.
1652 J. Howell tr. A. Giraffi Exact Hist. Late Revol. Naples (new ed.) ii. 12 They burnt a huge proportion of bisket.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xxiii. 378 A disgraceful inquiry into the means by which the disciple of Plato had accumulated..a very scandalous proportion of wealth.
II. Technical uses.
8. Music and Prosody.† b. Scottish. A tune, a melody. Obsolete. rare.
a. A relation or ratio between musical pitches, durations, etc.; the state of being in such a relation; musical or metrical rhythm or harmony; †an interval (obsolete). Now chiefly historical.Many instances are arguably merely contextual uses of sense 2a.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > duration of notes > proportion of notes or rhythm > [noun]
proportiona1387
measurea1525
mode1561
casure1565
moodc1570
rhythm1576
rhyme1586
stotc1590
dimension1597
sextupla1597
timing1597
rhythmus1603
cadence1605
time1609
cadency1628
movement1683
lilt1841
metre1873
tempus1889
riddim1943
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > versification > metre > [noun] > metrical structure > metrical harmony
proportion1589
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 229 (MED) Tubal hadde grete likynge to hire þe hameres sowne, and he fonde proporciouns [L. proportiones] and acorde of melodye by wyȝte in þe hameres.
1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 1464 (MED) Orpheus..of me wolde neuer take hede Nor of his armonye oo poynt me teche In musical proporcyon rymes to lede.
a1450 Musical Treat. in Speculum (1935) 10 265 (MED) Here beginneþ tretises diuerse of musical proporcions & of þeire naturis & denominacions, fferst in Englissh & þan in Latyne.
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) 1667 (MED) Dyapason, with diapente & with diatesseron..with theire proporcions cawsen Armonye.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. i. 53 And this our proportion Poeticall resteth in fiue points: Staffe, Measure, Concord, Scituation and figure all which shall be spoken of in their places.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke iii. 120 A Curranta plaide in the newe proportions by them latelie found out.
1658 J. Playford Breif Introd. Skill Musick (new ed.) 20 Notes in Musick have two Names, one for Tune, the other for Time or Proportion of Sounds... Here (according to the ordinary Proportion of Time) we account two Minums to the Semibrief.
1694 W. Holder Treat. Harmony v. 114 It was said..That Mercurius his Lyre was strung with four Chords, having those Proportions, 6, 8, 9, 12.
1737 J. Ozell tr. F. Rabelais Wks. V. 80 La Quinte..a Fifth, or the Proportion of Five in Musick.
1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 370/2 This system of proportion was used not only with reference to intervals but also to the comparative length of notes.
1921 Music & Lett. 2 38 The proportions of Multiplicity expressed the number of lesser value notes that could be sung against one whole note of greater value in another part.
1996 Jrnl. Musicol. 14 153 A terminology and notation that would eliminate ambiguities in the relationship between tactus and signs of mensuration and proportion.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > melody or succession of sounds > [noun] > a melody
notec1300
warblec1374
moteta1382
tunea1387
measurea1393
modulationa1398
prolation?a1425
gammec1425
proportion?a1505
laya1529
stroke1540
diapason?1553
strain1579
cantus1590
stripe1590
diapase1591
air1597
pawson1606
spirit1608
melody1609
aria1742
refrain1795
toon1901
sounds1955
klangfarbenmelodie1959
a1505 R. Henryson Orpheus & Eurydice 368 in Poems (1981) 144 Orpheus..his harp can ta, And playit mony suete proporcion.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) vi. x. 43 Orpheus of Trace..Playand proportionis and springis dyvyne Apon his harp.
9. Mathematics.
a. A relationship of equivalence between two pairs of quantities, such that the first bears the same relation to the second as the third does to the fourth. In later use: spec. = geometrical proportion n. Also: the relationship between two variable quantities having a constant ratio.arithmetical, direct, extreme and mean, geometrical, harmonic, inverse proportion: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [noun] > agreement of sounds or harmony
cordc1300
accordmentc1330
concorda1340
accorda1387
consonancya1387
accordancea1400
cordinga1400
symphonyc1440
proportiona1450
chord?c1475
uthec1478
attemperance1481
consonant1483
monochordc1500
concordancea1513
concent1538
consort1587
harmoge1601
minstrelsy1605
dissonancy1626
harmoniousness1679
harmonicalness1693
concentus1769
attune1850
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe Introd. 3 Abilite to lerne sciences touching nombres and proporciouns.
1571 T. Digges in L. Digges's Geom. Pract.: Pantometria Defs. sig. T j v Any lyne or number is sayde to be diuided by extreame & meane proportion, when the diuision..is suche..that the whole line or number retayne the same proportion to the greater parte, that the greater doth to the lesser.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 32 Two..Lines being given,..to find a third which shall be in proportion unto them.
1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) Arithmetical Proportion is when Three or more Numbers proceed with the same difference. Geometrical, when Three or more Numbers have the same reason, or where every Number bears the same proportion to that which preceeds.
1798 C. Hutton Course Math. I. 95 If two or more couplets of numbers have equal ratios, or equal differences, the equality is named Proportion, and the terms of the ratios Proportionals.
1807 T. Young Course Lect. Nat. Philos. I. x. 107 The logarithmic circles..are employed mechanically in the same manner as a table of logarithms is used arithmetically, the proportion of any two numbers to each other being determined by the distance of the corresponding divisions on the scale.
1859 B. Smith Arith. & Algebra (ed. 6) 432 Proportion is the relation of equality subsisting between two ratios.
1972 M. Kline Math. Thought iii. 52 If p and q are two numbers..the proportion p: (p + q)/2 = 2pq/(p + q): q was called the musical proportion.
1986 D. H. Fowler Math. Plato's Acad. i. 16 A proportion is a condition that may or may not hold between four objects. It may appear as a question: ‘Are a, b, c, and d proportional?’
1998 J. L. Heilbron Geom. Civilized iv. 150 Calculations involve the proportion of numbers, hence ratio in the specialized usage of arithmetic and geometry.
b. In full rule of proportion. A method of finding a fourth quantity, given three known quantities, which bears the same relation to the third as the second does to the first, or (equivalently) the same relation to the second as the third does to the first; the rule of three.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > arithmetic or algebraic operations > [noun] > rule of three
golden rule1539
proportion1543
1543 R. Record Ground of Artes f. 101v Ye rule of Proportions..whose vse is by 3 nombers knowen, to fynde out another vnknowen.
1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) In Arithmetick, the Rule of proportion..is otherwise called the Golden Rule, or Rule of Three.
1797 Encycl. Brit. II. 301/2 The rule of proportion directs us, when three numbers are given, how to find a fourth, [etc.].
1827 O. Gregory Hutton's Course Math. (ed. 9) I. 50 Compound Proportion, is a rule by means of which the student may resolve such questions as require two or more statings in simple proportion.
1907 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 14 May 13/2 Measure the length of the shadow, then measure the length of the shadow cast by the tree, house or pole, and the simple rule of proportion determines the rest.
2000 D. M. Hovde in O. Johnson & W. H. Winter Route across Rocky Mountains 30 The rule of three..is also known as the golden rule or the rule of proportion.
10. Chemistry. A weight of a substance which combines or reacts fully with the corresponding weight of another substance; the combining weight of an atom or molecule in proportion with others; = equivalent n. 3a. Also atomic proportion, molecular proportion. Now rare.See also law of multiple proportions n. at multiple adj. 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > [noun] > elements > proportionalism > proportion
proportion1808
proportional1825
1802 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. III. iii. iii. 199 If we attend only to the proportions in which they combine with each other, [substances] may be arranged under four classes. 1. Some seem to combine in any proportion whatever... 2. Some combine only in certain determinate proportions... 3. Some combine only in the proportions which constitute the maxima and minima.]
1808 H. Davy in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 98 12 This compound soon absorbs its full proportion of oxygene when exposed to the air.
1810 H. Davy in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 100 63 According to Mr. Dalton, there is a proportion of oxygene, the same in all protoxides, and there is a proportion of acid, the same in all neutral salts; and new proportions of oxygene and of acid, are always multiples of these proportions.
1863–72 H. Watts Dict. Chem. I. 454 Every..symbol is used to express one atomic proportion of its particular element.
1881 Med. Temp. Jrnl. 48 194 Sulphur combines with carbon, in two proportions of the former with one of the latter.
1964 N. G. Clark Mod. Org. Chem. xvi. 327 Hydrolysis with dilute hydrochloric acid yields two molecular proportions of glucose.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
proportionv.
/prəˈpɔːʃn/, U.S. /prəˈpɔrʃ(ə)n/, /pərˈpɔrʃ(ə)n/ 1. transitive. To set, adjust, or regulate the proportion or proportions of; to shape, frame, form, fashion; (also) to combine ingredients in due proportion to make (a mixture). See also proportioned adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)]
i-schapeOE
shapec1000
afaite?c1225
feigna1300
form1340
deformc1384
proportionc1384
throwc1390
figure?a1400
parec1400
mould1408
fashion1413
portrayc1450
effigure1486
porture1489
moul1530
shapen1535
frame1553
proportionate1555
efform1578
inform1590
formate1599
to shape out1600
infigure1611
figurate1615
immodelize1649
effinge1657
effigiate1660
configure1857
carpenter1884
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > adapt or adjust [verb (transitive)] > make proportionate (to) > adjust the proportions of
proportionc1384
moder1414
proportioningc1450
moderate1477
c1384 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 231 (MED) All the Fronntte..of Storyes of heygh, the fyrst story of xij fote of heygh, te ij of x fote, te thryd of viij fote, propossenyd of sufficient tymbre, All only of herte of oke, As Sufficienttyly longyth to Sych maner of Byldyng.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 346 (MED) Þouȝ I sette proporcioun of poudris & oile & wex, neþeles þou schalt proporcioun þi þingis more or lasse as þou seest þat þou hast nede þerto.
?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 187 For to proporcioun ane oynement of herbes.
a1475 Recipe Painting in Archæol. Jrnl. (1844) 1 153 (MED) Whanne thou hast proporcioned thi vynegre and thi copur, thanne putte it in a pott.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 668/1 I proporcyon a thynge, I make it of juste measure and quantyte, je proporcionne.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 3053 The lippus, full luffly, as by lyn wroght, Made of a meane vmb þe mowthe swete, As it were coruyn by crafte, colourd with honde, Proporcionet pertly with painteres deuyse.
1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 525 That Painter..had euill fauouredlie proportioned a painted Henne.
1641 J. Trapp Theologia Theol. 157 A Painter..had illfavouredly proportioned a Hen.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. v. xi. 46 A Gunner ought..to proportion his Charge according to the thinnest side of the Metal.
1703 Moxon's Mech. Dyalling (ed. 4) in Moxon's Mech. Exercises (new ed.) 317 For thus proportioning the Divisions in the Semi-circle, you may proportion the Divisions and Sub-divisions of Hours upon the Dyal Plane.
1778 J. Abercrombie Universal Gardener & Botanist at Bromelia By proportioning heat, air, and water, depends the whole success of having large and well-flavoured Pine-Apples.
1800 Christian Preacher 26 Much prudence is necessary, in distinguishing betwixt sins of infirmity, and sins of wilfulness and frowardness; and accordingly in proportioning the severity of our reproofs.
1856 Times 11 Feb. 9/1 They have sought..so to proportion the charges of their mines that, while everything should be overturned..as little as possible should be thrown out of the crater.
1940 Harvard Law Rev. 53 875 Its purpose..was..to proportion the tax rate according to the relative costs of collection.
1992 Art Bull. 74 121/2 An interest in ideal measurement, particularly the various ‘canons’ established in ancient art to proportion the human figure.
2. transitive. To adjust, regulate, or determine in due or proper proportion to something else, in terms of size, quantity, number, etc.; to make proportionate. Formerly also with with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > adapt or adjust [verb (transitive)] > make proportionate (to)
proportiona1398
qualify1548
modulatec1570
proportionate1570
measure1590
cantle1603
apportion1615
equal1618
commensurate1660
scantle1711
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 186v Clerenes of liȝte is proporciened to purnesse of ayre.
?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 89 (MED) Þi þrede moste ben euen proporciond to þe wounde, sotille oþer grete after þe dispocicioun of þe wounde.
c1450 J. Capgrave Solace of Pilgrims (Bodl. 423) (1911) 112 (MED) In helle he proporcioneth nowt þe peyne to þe malice of þe synne.
1589 R. Greene Menaphon 28 The discurtesie of thy father is proportioned with the fauour of the Gods.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage v. xvii. 459 Statues..fiue or sixe fathomes high, which these Symmetrians proportioned to the stature of Adam.
1710 H. Prideaux Orig. & Right Tithes i. 5 To proportion the means to the end.
1757 J. Woolman Jrnl. 29 May Our gracious Father having so proportioned one to the other that keeping in the true medium we may pass on quietly.
1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek ii. 39 You can proportion your supply exactly to the demand.
1862 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism 85 The punishment should be proportioned to the offence.
1954 F. Lloyd Wright Nat. House ii. 133 In designing the Usonian house..I have always proportioned it to the human figure in point of scale; that is, to the scale of the human figure to occupy it.
1987 J. Millman & A. Grabel Microelectronics (ed. 2) xv. 699 By multiplying any carrier waveform by a modulating signal Vm an amplitude-modulated (AM) signal is obtained because the instantaneous value of the carrier is proportioned to Vm.
2001 L. G. Clubb in A. Leggatt Cambr. Compan. Shakespearean Comedy iii. 38 Shakespeare could do the same with any source, mixing his own, proportioning them to his company's capacities and his audience's expectations.
3. transitive. To divide or measure out into proportionate parts; to distribute in due shares.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > assign or allot > in due proportion
proportiona1475
rate1491
apportionate1523
apportion1528
limit1530
discribe1531
applot1633
proportionate1637
admeasure1641
prorate1858
a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 130 Thow must square & proporcioun þy bred clene & evenly, and þat no loof ne bunne be more þan oþer proporcionly.
1535 Act 27 Hen. VIII c. 27 The sayde chancellour..shal also proporcion the sayd religious houses and other the premisses in ten partes.
1568 in C. L. Kingsford Rep. MSS Ld. de l'Isle & Dudley (1925) I. 320 An estimate..with the charge of a tonne of plates and steele and a tonne of Iron [showing] what each tonne standeth the owners in severallie, proporcioned into xx.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 261 The Judges itinerant had their time proportioned out to every County.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 87. ⁋9 Proportioning the Glory of a Battle among the whole Army.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 44 They agree to Proportion their Forces.
1783 B. Franklin Let. 25 Dec. in Paris, 1776–85 1081 The Bills that were to have been proportioned among us.
1852 S. J. B. Hale Northwood x. 116 Our public money..is proportioned among the several districts.
1889 Times 15 May 10/1 He should like to know how the £100 was proportioned among the various public free libraries of the country.
1922 F. S. Fitzgerald Beautiful & Damned ii. iii. 295 The remaining nine millions were proportioned among the two cousins in Idaho and about twenty-five other beneficiaries.
2001 Limnol. & Oceanogr. 46 21/1 The amino acids found in the clay isolates can be proportioned into marine and terrigenous components.
4. transitive. To allot or assign (a thing) to a person as his or her portion; to apportion. Also: to assign (a person) to a lot or portion. Now rare.In recent use probably by confusion with apportion v.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > assign or allot > to a person as his share
britOE
dealc1400
lotc1400
allow?c1450
allot1473
proportion1581
apportion1587
portion1587
share1596
allocate1616
locate1816
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. ii. f. 49v They doe all thinges better then wee are able to proportion them out vnto them.
1612 Sir R. Dudley in S. R. Gardiner Fortescue Papers (1871) 7 (note) Uppon the sale of those landes, I have proportioned a thankefull gratuity for you.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 69 Samuel proportioned Eliab to a Crowne at first sight.
a1711 T. Ken Wks. (1721) I. 146 They'll me proportion what for me is best.
1798 J. H. Craig in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 599 It will then remain to proportion its several parts into the different branches.
1987 Phoenix 41 97 This attention to motivation is important because it permits us to proportion blame.
2003 Sunday Mercury (Birmingham) (Nexis) 27 July 24 The unedifying spectacle of people dashing to and from television and radio stations, proportioning blame here, there and everywhere.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > compare [verb (transitive)] > balance against
counterweighc1430
weigha1535
proportion1591
counterbalance1603
scalea1616
appoisea1670
counterpoise1685
tally1702
commeasure1849
benchmark1963
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. G I doubt not when your Highnes sees my prize, You may proportion all their former pride.
1616 B. Jonson Forrest ii. 99 in Wks. I Now, Penshvrst, they that will proportion thee With other edifices.
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes iv. ii. 189 Fond earth! Proportion not my seeming love To my long stay.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. ii. 19 To think with more Equality of Nature, and to proportion her Defects a little better.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > be equal to or match
to be even witheOE
match?1529
countervail1530
even1582
suit1583
patterna1586
amate1590
proportionate1590
parallela1594
fellow1596
to hold its level with1598
adequate1599
coequal1599
twin1605
paragonize1606
peer1614
to come upa1616
proportiona1616
paragon1620
parallelize1620
tail1639
to match up to (also with)1958
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 136 Bid him therefore consider of his ransome, which must proportion the losses we haue borne, the subiects we haue lost. View more context for this quotation
1652 E. Sparke Scintillula Altaris xxii. 252 Yet here her Offering proportioneth her Ability.
1655 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa II. i. viii. 466 Their successe had proportion'd their virtue.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1382
v.c1384