Proportion
Etymology
From Latin “proportio” (comparative relation), from the phrase “pro portione” (according to each share). It reached English through Old French in the 14th century, carrying both the arithmetic and the aesthetic sense of balanced relation.
noun · /pruh-POR-shuhn/
A part considered in relation to the whole, often expressed as a fraction or percentage.
What it names
It anchors a quantity to its context, so a number means something rather than floating free.
Example
“Two thousand complaints” sounds alarming until you learn the proportion — two thousand out of fifty million transactions.
Related idea
A proportion compares a part to a whole, while a ratio compares two parts to each other; “three in ten” is a proportion, but “three to seven” is the matching ratio.
noun · /pruh-POR-shuhn/
The harmonious or correct relationship in size, degree, or importance between things; (plural) the overall dimensions of something.
What it names
balance of scale, or overall size
Example
The columns are perfectly in proportion with the roof; the hall is of vast proportions.
Related idea
To lose a sense of proportion is to misjudge how big something really is. Compare marginal and order-of-magnitude.
See also