Comparability

/ˌkɒmpərəˈbɪləti/ noun

Definition

The quality of being comparable or able to be meaningfully compared with something else.

Etymology

From comparable (from Latin comparabilis) plus the suffix -ity (forming abstract nouns). Comparable comes from Latin comparare, meaning 'to pair or match'.

Kelly Says

Comparability is crucial in science—you can't compare apples to oranges unless they share some comparable traits, which is why scientists spend so much time ensuring their experiments measure the same things.

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