核心畫面

A staircase instead of a slope. A value does not slide smoothly upward: it jumps, holds still, and jumps again, and every jump is the same size. The increment is that one jump — not where you started, not where you end up, just the size of one step.

increment 可以想成一道樓梯,不是斜坡。數字不是平順地往上滑。它跳一格、停住、再跳一格,而且每一格一樣大。i更多收起increment 可以想成一道樓梯,不是斜坡。數字不是平順地往上滑。它跳一格、停住、再跳一格,而且每一格一樣大。increment 指的就是那一格:不是起點,不是終點,只是「一步有多大」。

From the word’s history

From Latin incrementum, from increscere, made of in- plus crescere, to grow. The word has carried the idea of a bit of growth added on from the start.

Wiktionary 記錄 increment 來自拉丁文 incrēmentum,再往上是 incrēscō,由 in-(往裡)加 crēscō(生長)組成,跟 increase 同源。也就是說,「往上長出一段」這個意思從一開始就在字裡面,後來才固定成「加上去的那一段有多大」。

Wiktionary, packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:209471028:19409 — etymology_text: From Middle English encrement, from Latin incrementum, from increscere, from in- + crescere (grow).

Two branches

往上加的那一格

這一族就是核心畫面本身:一格的大小,以及讓數字往上跳一格的動作。

noun · B2

The amount by which a number, a value, or a quantity goes up in one step, especially when it goes up in equal steps again and again.

增量;每次增加的量

薪水表上的那一格

把同一道樓梯放進薪資制度:薪水不是慢慢漲,是每年往上跳固定的一格。

noun · B2

A fixed amount that is added to someone's pay at regular times, usually once a year.

定期加薪的金額