n. 1. a. The act of comparing or the process of being compared. b. A statement or estimate of similarities and differences. 2. The quality of being similar or equivalent; likeness: no comparison between the two books. 3. Grammar The modification or inflection of an adjective or adverb to denote the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees, as in English, along with the equative degree in certain other languages, such as Irish Gaelic. [Middle English comparisoun, from Old French comparaison, from Latin comparātiō, comparātiōn-, from comparātus, past participle of comparāre, to compare; see COMPARE.] |
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