Comparisoun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of the act of setting things side by side to observe how they are alike or different
2. Obsolete Middle English form meaning the process of weighing one thing against another to judge likeness or difference
3. A medieval variant for the act of examining two or more things together to discern their resemblances and contrasts

Etymology: Before it meant weighing one thing against another, the Latin verb "comparare" meant to procure or acquire something, and it could be used of buying goods. Its parts explain the link: "com-" means "together" and "par" means "equal", so to procure something was to get it matched up with what you needed. The noun came from Latin "comparatio", which passed through Old French as "comparaison" and entered English in the Middle Ages. Medieval English spellings such as "comparisoun" show the word still settling into its modern form. English kept the sense of setting two things side by side.

Synonyms: comparison