Disparison

/dɪˈspærɪzən/ noun

Definition

Lack of resemblance or comparison; the state of being incomparable or too different to be compared.

Etymology

From dis- (not) + parison (from Latin parisonem, meaning 'comparison'). The word parison itself comes from Latin parare (to make ready, to match), so disparison literally means 'not-matching'.

Kelly Says

This word is almost completely extinct in English, but it was used in Renaissance poetry to describe things so beautiful or terrible that they were 'beyond comparison'—a deliberate oxymoron where you name what can't be named!

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