Proportional

Proportional

Adjective · /prəˈpɔːʃənl/ · corresponding in size, degree, or amount to something else

Definition

Proportional means corresponding in size, degree, or magnitude relative to something else — so that when one thing changes, the other changes at the same rate or in the same ratio. A response is proportional to a threat when it is neither too large nor too small — it matches the scale of what it is responding to. Proportional design, proportional representation, and proportional punishment all share this core idea: the right amount in relation to something else.

Origin

From Latin proportionalis — relating to proportion — from proportio — comparative relation — built from pro (for, on behalf of) and portio (a share, a part). The root portio also gives us portion and apportion. A proportion is a measured share — and proportional is the adjective that says a thing holds to that share correctly.