incommensurate etymology

Etymology

The word "incommensurate" has Latin roots:

• In- (negative prefix meaning "not")
• Commen- (from "communis," meaning "common")
• -surate (from "mensura," meaning "measure")

Meaning and Origin

Incommensurate literally means "not sharing a common measure." It was first used in the 16th century to describe quantities that could not be expressed in terms of a common unit. For example, the diagonal of a square is incommensurate with its side.

Over time, the meaning of "incommensurate" has expanded to include any situation where two things are not comparable or equivalent. For example, we might say that the value of a person's life is incommensurate with the amount of money they earn.

Usage

Incommensurate is often used in the following contexts:

• To describe quantities that cannot be compared directly
• To emphasize the great difference between two things
• To suggest that something is impossible or unreasonable

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