commensurate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2007 is: commensurate • \kuh-MEN-suh-rut\ • adjective 1 : equal in measure or extent : coextensive 2 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate Examples: "Salary commensurate with experience," the job advertisement read. Did you know? "Commensurate" is a word that really measures up. And no wonder -- it's a descendant of the Latin noun "mensura," meaning "measure," from "mensus," past participle of "metiri" ("to measure"). In the first recorded use of "commensurate," which comes from 1641, the adjective was used as a synonym of "coextensive." It didn't take long for "commensurate" to be used to mean "proportionate" as well. Henry James used this sense in The American when he wrote, "The stakes were high and the risk was great; the prize therefore must have been commensurate." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.