Proportionable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be adjusted so that the parts relate properly to each other ; matching in scale or amount to something else
2. Capable of having its parts balanced in correct relation ; suited in magnitude or extent to match another thing
3. Able to be shaped so that elements harmonize appropriately ; equivalent in proportion or degree to a given standard

Etymology: The word is simply "proportion" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning "capable of being proportioned" or "suitable in proportion to something." The suffix has a longer pedigree than the English word it sits on. It descends from Latin "-ābilis," which came into English through Old French "-able" and Middle English "-able," so the ending itself travelled a long road before meeting "proportion." "Proportion" comes from Latin "proportio," built from "pro" (meaning "for" or "in relation to") and "portio" (a share or part). Its root sense is a share measured against other shares, which is why the word still carries the idea of a fitting relationship between parts and wholes. The Proto-Indo-European ancestry behind "portio" is a distant background rather than the story here. Because "proportionable" is a straightforward combination of an existing noun and a productive suffix, its meaning follows directly from the parts: something that can be brought into proper proportion with something else.

Synonyms: proportional, proportionate, commensurate

Antonyms: disproportionate, incommensurate