Proportionné

Proportionné is a French adjective meaning that something is adjusted to fit a desired proportion or scaled in relation to another quantity. It is used to express that a component, measure, or result has been made commensurate with a corresponding element. The feminine form is proportionnée, and the plural forms are proportionnés (masc.) and proportionnées (fem.). In practice, it conveys that the size, amount, or level matches a specified ratio.

Etymology and usage. The word comes from proportionner, itself from proportion, which traces back to Latin proportionem. In French, proportionné is commonly found in contexts where an object or measure is calibrated to a given proportion, or where fairness or balance is emphasized in relation to another factor.

Contexts. In design, typography, and ergonomics, one speaks of a “corps proportionné” or a “logo proportionné,” meaning elements scaled to maintain balanced aesthetics. In law and policy, the phrase “peine proportionnée” or “mesure proportionnée” is used to indicate that sanctions or actions are commensurate with the seriousness of an offense or with available resources. In everyday language, it can describe budgets, allocations, or adjustments that are made proportionally to needs, demand, or capacity.

Related terms. Proportionné is closely related to proportionnel, which describes a relational, often mathematical, proportionality, and to the noun proportionnalité (the principle of proportionality). The term differs from merely proportional in math; it emphasizes deliberate scaling to fit a proportional framework.

See also: proportion, proportionality, scaling.