# proportion

Pronunciation: US say "pruh-POR-shuhn" /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/; UK say "pruh-PAW-shuhn" /pɹəˈpɔːʃən/

## Noun

1. A quantity that forms part of a whole amount or number.
   - Simple: A part of a total amount or number.
   - _A significant proportion of the budget goes to staff salaries._
   - _Growing proportions of voters now get their news online._
2. The relation of one part to another or to the whole in size, quantity, or degree.
   - Simple: How big one part is compared to another part or to the whole.
   - _The proportion of cement to sand determines the strength of the concrete._
   - _Her salary rose in proportion to her growing responsibilities._
3. A harmonious relationship among the parts of something, or between the parts and the whole.
   - Simple: A pleasing balance among the parts of something, so nothing looks too big or too small.
   - _Classical architecture prizes proportion above ornament._
   - _The portrait feels wrong because the figure's arms are out of proportion with the torso._
4. A proper or equal share due to or contributed by each person or group.
   - Simple: The fair share of something that each person or thing should get.
   - _Each heir received a proportion of the estate, as the will directed._
   - _Member nations contribute their proportions of the alliance's operating budget._
5. The size or dimensions of something.
   - Simple: The size or scale of something.
   - _The scandal soon assumed a proportion that alarmed even seasoned editors._
   - _The warehouse fire grew to alarming proportions within an hour._
6. A statement of equality between two ratios, such as 3:4 = 9:12.
   - Simple: A statement in math that two ratios, or comparisons of numbers, are equal.
   - _Students set up a proportion to find the missing side of the similar triangle._
   - _The map's scale lets you write a proportion comparing inches on paper to miles on the ground._

## Verb

7. To divide and distribute something in proper shares; to apportion.
   - Simple: To divide something into fair parts or shares.
   - _The committee will proportion the relief funds according to each county's losses._
   - _Her will proportioned the estate among the three siblings._
8. To set or render the elements of a work in proper relation of size to one another.
   - Simple: To make the parts of something the right size compared to each other.
   - _The sculptor proportioned the statue's limbs to the scale of its head._
   - _Architects proportion a facade by relating window heights to the spacing of the columns._
9. To form or shape something symmetrically.
   - Simple: To shape something so its parts are even and balanced.
   - _A skilled luthier will proportion the violin's body so the two halves match exactly._
   - _The gardener proportioned the hedges so each side mirrored the other._

## Noun

10. The rule of three, a method in which three given terms are used to find a fourth. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A way of using three known numbers to find a fourth, unknown number.
   - _Merchants once relied on proportion to convert prices between different weights and currencies._
   - _The arithmetic primer devoted a full chapter to proportion, with exercises on wages, cloth, and corn._

## Verb

11. To correspond to; to match in measure or degree. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To match or be equal to something in size or amount.
   - _The knight's sorrow proportioned his guilt, deepening with every league he rode._
   - _Let the punishment proportion the offense, the magistrate declared._

## Origin

The word came into Middle English as proporcion from Old French proportion, which came from Latin prōportiō ('comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy'). The Latin word combines pro ('for, before') with portio ('share, part').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/proportion (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).