Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A part or amount considered in relation to a whole.
- noun A relationship between things or parts of things with respect to comparative magnitude, quantity, or degree.
- noun A relationship between quantities such that if one varies then another varies in a manner dependent on the first.
- noun The agreeable or harmonious relation of parts within a whole.
- noun Dimensions; size.
- noun 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 .
- transitive verb To adjust so that proper relations between parts are attained.
- transitive verb To form the parts of with balance or symmetry.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To adjust in suitable relations; adapt harmoniously to something else as regards dimensions or extent: as, to
proportion the size of a building to its height, or the thickness of a thing to its length; to proportion expenditure to income. - To form with symmetry; give a symmetrical form to.
- To bear proportion or adequate relation to; correspond to.
- To divide into portions; allot; apportion.
- To compare; estimate the relative proportions of.
- In type-manuf., to adjust (a font of type) so that it shall contain the proper number of each letter, point, etc.
- noun The relation of one thing to another in respect to size, quantity, magnitude of corresponding parts, capacity, or degree.
- noun Specifically, the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude; the relative size and arrangement of parts: as, the proportion of the parts of an edifice, or of the human body. Commonly in the plural.
- noun Symmetrical arrangement, distribution, or adjustment; the proper relation of parts in a whole; symmetry or harmony.
- noun That which falls to one's lot when a whole is divided according to a rule or principle; just or proper share; in general, portion; lot.
- noun Form; shape; figure.
- noun In mathematics, the equality of ratios or relations; analogy.
- noun In music: The ratio between the vibration-numbers of two tones.
- noun Same as
rhythm or meter. - noun In arithmetic, the rule of three; that rule which, according to the theory of proportion, enables us to find a fourth proportional to three given numbers — that is, a number to which the third bears the same ratio as the first does to the second.
- noun See
mixed . - noun Synonyms See
symmetry .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To adjust in a suitable proportion, as one thing or one part to another
- transitive verb To form with symmetry or suitableness, as the parts of the body.
- transitive verb To divide into equal or just shares; to apportion.
- noun The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio.
- noun Harmonic relation between parts, or between different things of the same kind; symmetrical arrangement or adjustment; symmetry.
- noun The portion one receives when a whole is distributed by a rule or principle; equal or proper share; lot.
- noun A part considered comparatively; a share.
- noun The equality or similarity of ratios, especially of geometrical ratios; or a relation among quantities such that the quotient of the first divided by the second is equal to that of the third divided by the fourth; -- called also
geometrical proportion , in distinction fromarithmetical proportion , or that in which the difference of the first and second is equal to the difference of the third and fourth. - noun The rule of three, in arithmetic, in which the three given terms, together with the one sought, are proportional.
- noun See under
Continued ,Inverse , etc. - noun a relation of three or four quantities, such that the first is to the last as the difference between the first two is to the difference between the last two; thus, 2, 3, 6, are in harmonical proportion; for 2 is to 6 as 1 to 3. Thus, 24, 16, 12, 9, are harmonical, for 24:9::8:3.
- noun according as; to the degree that.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.
- noun uncountable Harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole.
- noun countable Proper or equal share.
- noun uncountable The relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.
- noun mathematics, countable A
statement ofequality between tworatios . - noun countable
size - verb art To set or render in proportion.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole
- noun harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)
- noun the relation between things (or parts of things) with respect to their comparative quantity, magnitude, or degree
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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When one proportion of a body is combined with two or more proportions of anotlier, it seems to enter with more difficulty into new combinations, than when it is combined wiUi one proportion*
Elements of Chemical Philosophy: Part 1, Vol.1 Humphry Davy, Sir Humphry Davy 1812
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The change in proportion is also moderated by the assumption that population growth is all in England but I want to err on the side of caution.
Our Changing Bus Newmania 2007
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Although generally attributed to Leonardo Pisano, il Figlio di (son of) Bonacci, this proportion is also found in the measurements of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25): 2.5 cubits long by 1.5 cubits wide and high (1.5/2.5 = 0.6).
Architecture and Memory: The Renaissance Studioli of Federico da Montefeltro 2008
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"It's only my sense o 'duty, an' o 'what you call proportion," said
The Eyes of the Woods A story of the Ancient Wilderness 1890
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I understand this is a slippery slope, as in proportion to the United States most states look tiny.
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I assumed that government pay-outs would fall in proportion with the loss in social security tax revenue i.e. responsibility for current government benefits due would go to the private firm or cease.
Quizzes, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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There were no pre-hispanic “Filipinos” as a distinct cultural group, but instead a lot of separate tribes with their own cultures, the variation between which grows in proportion to their distance from each other.
Of Aswangs, Garlic and Cultural Diversity « BAHAY TALINHAGA 2009
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Although ANCs provide some benefits to their shareholders, those benefits may not be in proportion to the potential for waste, fraud and abuse created by the ANCs 'contracting preferences.
A drumbeat of warnings about impropriety regarding Alaska native corporation contracts Robert O'Harrow Jr. 2010
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No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.
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The requirements grow linearly, in proportion to the number of folk.
Mehret Mandefro: The Revolution of Relevance Mehret Mandefro 2010
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word proportion
Miss Bart was discerning enough to know that the inner vanity is generally in proportion to the outer self-depreciation.
-Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth
July 26, 2009