Meaning

noun an ordered reference standard

noun relative magnitude

noun the ratio between the size of something and a representation of it

originFrom Middle English scale, from Old French escale, from Frankish and/or Old High German skala, from Proto-Germanic *skalō. Cognate with Old English sċealu (“shell, husk”), whence the modern doublet shale. Further cognate with Dutch schaal, German Schale, French écale.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0