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disparate

 - 4 dictionary results

dis⋅pa⋅rate

  [dis-per-it, di-spar-]
Use disparate in a Sentence
–adjective
distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar: disparate ideas.
Origin:
1580–90; < L disparātus separated (ptp. of disparāre), equiv. to dis- dis- 1 + par(āre) to prepare (see pare ) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
dis⋅pa⋅rate⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅pa⋅rate⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
separate, divergent, incommensurable, unlike.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To disparate
dis·pa·rate   (dĭs'pər-ĭt, dĭ-spār'ĭt)   
adj.  

  1. Fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar: "This mixture of apparently disparate materials—scandal and spiritualism, current events and eternal recurrences—is not promising on the face of it" (Gary Wills).

  2. Containing or composed of dissimilar or opposing elements: a disparate group of people who represented a cross section of the city.


[Latin disparātus, past participle of disparāre, to separate : dis-, apart; see dis- + parāre, to prepare; see perə-1 in Indo-European roots.]
dis'pa·rate·ly adv., dis'pa·rate·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

disparate 
1608, "unlike in kind," from L. disparatus, pp. of disparare "divide, separate," from dis- "apart" + parare "get ready, prepare" (see pare); meaning infl. by L. dispar "unequal, unlike."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: dis·pa·rate
Pronunciation: dis-'par-&t, 'dis-p(&-)r&t
Function: adjective
: indicating or stimulating dissimilar pointson the retina of each eye
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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