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Definition of proportion - 4 dictionary results

pro⋅por⋅tion

  [pruh-pawr-shuhn, -pohr-]
Use proportion in a Sentence
–noun
1. comparative relation between things or magnitudes as to size, quantity, number, etc.; ratio.
2. proper relation between things or parts: to have tastes way out of proportion to one's financial means.
3. relative size or extent.
4. proportions, dimensions or size: a rock of gigantic proportions.
5. a portion or part in its relation to the whole: A large proportion of the debt remains.
6. symmetry, harmony, or balance: an architect with a sense of proportion.
7. the significance of a thing or event that an objective view reveals: You must try to see these mishaps in proportion.
8. Mathematics. a relation of four quantities such that the first divided by the second is equal to the third divided by the fourth; the equality of ratios. Compare rule of three.
9. Archaic. analogy; comparison.
–verb (used with object)
10. to adjust in proper proportion or relation, as to size, quantity, etc.
11. to balance or harmonize the proportions of.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME proporcio(u)n < L prōportiōn- (s. of prōportiō) symmetry, analogy. See pro- 1 , portion

Related forms:
pro⋅por⋅tion⋅er, noun
pro⋅por⋅tion⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
1. comparison. 5. share. 6. distribution, arrangement. See symmetry. 10. regulate, arrange, balance, harmonize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To proportion
pro·por·tion   (prə-pôr'shən, -pōr'-)   
n.  

  1. A part considered in relation to the whole.

  2. A relationship between things or parts of things with respect to comparative magnitude, quantity, or degree: the proper proportion between oil and vinegar in the dressing.

  3. A relationship between quantities such that if one varies then another varies in a manner dependent on the first: "We do not always find visible happiness in proportion to visible virtue" (Samuel Johnson).

  4. Agreeable or harmonious relation of parts within a whole; balance or symmetry.

  5. Dimensions; size. Often used in the plural.

  6. Mathematics A statement of equality between two ratios. Four quantities, a, b, c, d, are said to be in proportion if a/b = c/d .

tr.v.   pro·por·tioned, pro·por·tion·ing, pro·por·tions

  1. To adjust so that proper relations between parts are attained.

  2. To form the parts of with balance or symmetry.


[Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō, prōportiōn-, from prō portiōne, according to (each) part : prō, according to; see pro-1 + portiōne, ablative of portiō, part; see perə-2 in Indo-European roots.]
pro·por'tion·a·ble adj., pro·por'tion·a·bly adv., pro·por'tion·er n., pro·por'tion·ment n.
Synonyms: These nouns mean aesthetic arrangement marked by proper distribution of elements. Proportion is the agreeable relation of parts within a whole: a house with rooms of gracious proportion.
Harmony is the pleasing interaction or appropriate combination of elements: the harmony of your facial features.
Symmetry and balance both imply an arrangement of parts on either side of a dividing line, but symmetry frequently emphasizes mirror-image correspondence of parts, while balance often suggests dissimilar parts that offset each other harmoniously: flowers planted in perfect symmetry around the pool. "In all perfectly beautiful objects, there is found the opposition of one part to another, and a reciprocal balance" (John Ruskin).
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

proportion  (n.)
c.1380, "due relation of one part to another," from O.Fr. proportion (13c.), from L. proportionem (nom. proportio) "comparative relation, analogy," from phrase pro portione "according to the relation" (of parts to each other), from pro "for" + abl. of *partio "division," related to pars (see part). Meaning "size or extent" is recorded from 1390. The verb "to adjust or regulate the proportions of" is attested from 1380. Phrase out of proportion first attested 1710.
"My fortunes [are] as ill proportioned as your legs." [John Marston, "Antonio and Mellida," 1602]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

proportion

see out of proportion.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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