The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

commensurate (adjective):

1 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate
2 : equal in measure or extent

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : 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.”

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.