disparate
See also: dispárate
English
WOTD – 2 July 2006
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French desparat, from Latin disparātus, past participle of disparō (“to divide”), from dis- (“apart”) + parō (“to arrange”), ultimately from PIE *dwóh₁ (“two”) and *per- (“carry forth”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
disparate (comparative more disparate, superlative most disparate)
- Composed of inherently different or distinct elements; incongruous.
- The board of the company was decidedly disparate, with no two members from the same social or economic background.
- 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 269:
- The London Transport Museum was established, from disparate collections, at Covent Garden in 1980.
- 2023 February 8, Tony Streeter, “Kirkdale: home to Merseyrail's new '777s'”, in RAIL, number 976, page 36:
- Although third-rail operation in the region dates back more than a century, it was in the 1970s that tunnels under Liverpool's city centre opened to bring together previously disparate routes.
- Essentially different; of different species, unlike but not opposed in pairs
- Utterly unlike; incapable of being compared; having no common ground.
- 1898, John Wesley Powell, Truth and Error:
- Then disparate sense impressions come to disparate organs, as light to the eye, taste to the mouth, etc.
- 1912, Bertrand Russell, The Philosophy of Bergson:
- M. Bergson’s philosophy, unlike most of the systems of the past, is dualistic: the world, for him, is divided into two disparate portions, on the one hand life, on the other matter, or rather that inert something which the intellect views as matter.
Synonyms
- (composed of distinct elements): incongruous, mismatched, uncoordinated
- (markedly different): different, dissimilar, unalike
- (incapable of being compared): incommensurable
Related terms
Translations
composed of inherently different elements
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References
- Longman Exams Dictionary
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Further reading
- “disparate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “disparate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Noun
disparate (plural disparates)
- (chiefly in the plural) Any of a group of unequal or dissimilar things.
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin disparātus, past participle of to divide, from dis- (“apart”) + to make equal, from par (“equal”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dis.pa.ʁat/
Audio (Switzerland) (file)
Further reading
- “disparate”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
disparate
- inflection of disparat:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Latin
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /d͡ʒis.paˈɾa.t͡ʃi/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /d͡ʒiʃ.paˈɾa.t͡ʃi/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /d͡ʒis.paˈɾa.te/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /diʃ.pɐˈɾa.tɨ/
Etymology 1
Deverbal from disparatar or borrowed from Spanish disparate.
Noun
disparate m (plural disparates)
Verb
disparate
- inflection of disparatar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dispaˈɾate/ [d̪is.paˈɾa.t̪e]
- Rhymes: -ate
- Syllabification: dis‧pa‧ra‧te
Noun
disparate m (plural disparates)
- nonsense (meaningless words or actions)
- Synonym: dislate
- (Can we date this quote?), Don Quijote:
- — […] Y no me amaño a dejarle, por más disparates que haga.
- and I can't leave him, no matter how many mistakes he makes.
- 2010, Alberto Lema, translated by Iris Cochón, Sidecar, Caballo de Troya (Random House):
- — […] Y todo ese disparate sobre la supuesta infinitud de las personas; cuanto más sabes más quieres saber, más sabes que no sabes, etc.; es una estupidez.
- And all that hogwash about the supposed infinity of people; the more you know the more you want to know, the more you know that you don't know, etc.; it's all silliness.
- a great amount; a lot
- crazy idea
Verb
disparate
- inflection of disparatar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Further reading
- “disparate”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
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