disproportion en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /dɪspɹəˈpɔːʃən/ (UK)
- (Received-Pronunciation) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Old French des-bor. ▲ Latin dis-bor. Middle English dis- English dis- English proportion English disproportion From dis- + proportion.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The state of being out of proportion; an abnormal or improper ratio; an imbalance.
Then we, the social outsiders, turn around and dictate how men shall treat women (seldom, if ever, how women shall treat men; power in men's rather than women's hands being the excuse offered for this lop-sided arrangement), and how whites shall treat blacks (the same disproportion exists here too).
1978 December 9, Nancy Walker, “Sexism and Racism at GCN?”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 10:[…] a handsome creature, remarkably so, with features so symmetrical […] that a micrometer gauge could scarcely find a disproportion in her smooth and broad mahogany-coloured face.
1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XIII, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 208:the disproportion of the length of a building to its height
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(countable, uncountable) Lack of suitableness, adequacy, or due proportion to an end or use; unsuitableness.
the disproportion of strength or means to an object
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| disproportions | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
disproportionation · cephalopelvic disproportion
Translations (5)
ca desproporció (the state of being out of proportion) · pl dysproporcja (the state of being out of proportion) · es desproporción (the state of being out of proportion) · bg несъразмерност (the state of being out of proportion) · eo misproporcio (the state of being out of proportion)