entry
measure
/ˈmɛʒər/determine size, amount, or extent by comparison
From Proto-Indo-European *me- (to measure).
from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." The native verb is mete . The intransitive sense of "to be of a (specified)...
from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin mensurare "to measure,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French mesurer "measure; moderate, curb" (12c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." The native verb is mete . The intransitive sense of "to be of a (specified)...
from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by,"
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin mensurare "to measure,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French mesurer "measure; moderate, curb" (12c.)
+1 more sourceLong before rulers and laser levels, people measured the world by comparing one familiar thing with another: a forearm, a foot, a thumb, or a length of rope. The ancient root *me- meant “to measure,” and it traveled into Latin mētīrī and mēnsūra before arriving in Old French as mesurer. English adopted the French form in the fourteenth century, where it could mean not only calculating dimensions but also exercising restraint—someone who “measured” their behavior was keeping it within bounds. Its family tree is surprisingly crowded: commensurate means “sharing a measure,” while modulation began as the act of measuring musical rhythm before it became a change of key. The native English verb mete comes from a related Germanic pathway, but measure largely displaced it—so every time you measure a table, you are quietly carrying a French-Latin measuring tape through the history of English.
The Story
Long before rulers and laser levels, people measured the world by comparing one familiar thing with another: a forearm, a foot, a thumb, or a length of rope. The ancient root *me- meant “to measure,” and it traveled into Latin mētīrī and mēnsūra before arriving in Old French as mesurer. English adopted the French form in the fourteenth century, where it could mean not only calculating dimensions but also exercising restraint—someone who “measured” their behavior was keeping it within bounds. Its family tree is surprisingly crowded: commensurate means “sharing a measure,” while modulation began as the act of measuring musical rhythm before it became a change of key. The native English verb mete comes from a related Germanic pathway, but measure largely displaced it—so every time you measure a table, you are quietly carrying a French-Latin measuring tape through the history of English.
Modern Usage
Used vulgarly for comparing or displaying bodily size, especially genital size.
Kin & Kindred
From '*me-'·to measure
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary