Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Comparison in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels comparison as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913noun
Comparison

[F. comparaison, L. comparatio. See 1st Compare.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordcomparison
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[F. comparaison, L. comparatio. See 1st Compare.]
Selected historical definitionThe act of comparing; an examination of two or more objects with the view of discovering the resemblances or differences; relative estimate.
Signed record IDwebster1913-comparison-noun-e6df46811647
Source locatorCIDE.C, paragraph 12598; Gutenberg eBook 661
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 661Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "comparison" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[F. comparaison, L. comparatio. See 1st Compare.]" The selected historical definition says: "The act of comparing; an examination of two or more objects with the view of discovering the resemblances or differences; relative estimate."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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