The word "disparate" comes from the Latin word "disparatus," which is the past participle of "disparare," meaning "to separate" or "to divide." The verb "disparare" itself is derived from the prefix "dis-," meaning "apart" or "away," and "parare," meaning "to prepare" or "to set in order." The Latin word "dispar" means "unequal" or "different," which is related to "par," meaning "equal" or "a pair." The term "disparate" entered Middle French as "disparate" before being adopted into English in the late 16th century. In English, "disparate" is used as an adjective to describe things that are fundamentally distinct or different in kind or quality.