Compare combines Latin com- (together) and par (equal), originally meaning to set things side by side as equals to see how they matched.
To estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between two or more things.
From Middle English comparen, borrowed from Old French comparer, from Latin comparare meaning 'to pair together, match, bring together for a contest.' The verb was formed from com- ('together, with') and par ('equal'). The Latin par (equal) descends from Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- ('to grant, allot'), reflecting the idea that things given the same portion are equal. The word's root meaning is thus 'to place side by side as equals' — a sense