equal

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈiː.kwəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English equal,^[2][3] borrowed from Latin aequālis (“uniform, identical, equal”),^[4][5] from aequus (“level, even, flat; just, fair, impartial; calm”),^[4][5] a word of unknown or uncertain origin,^[4][5][6] with the suffix -al.^[5][3] A parallel form egal, from Old French egal, was in use from the late 14th century until the 17th.^[4][5] It is related to equation, equator, equity, equivalent, adequate and iniquity.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Identical in amount, extent or portion”: the late 14th century in Etymonline,^[4] about 1390 in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales according to Barnhart,^[5] and about 1391 in the OED, of magnitudes and numbers.^[8]

Semantic evolution

“Even or smooth of surface” is from the early 15th century.^[4] Of persons, “on the same level in rank, power or excellence” is from 1526,^[8] and “adequate, fit”, now only with to, as in equal to the task, from before 1674.^[8] The ethical sense “fair, just, impartial”, as in Ben Jonson's “O my most equal hearers”, has almost entirely gone out of use.^[9] The noun, one who is equal to another, is from 1573,^[5][10] and the verb “to compare, liken” from 1586;^[5] “to match, rival” is from 1590, in Marlowe's Tamburlaine.^[5][10] Equal rights is from 1752, and by 1854 American English used it of men and women;^[4] equal opportunity in hiring is recorded by 1925.^[4] Other things being equal (1848) translates Latin ceteris paribus.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1390 – identical in amount.^[5][8]
• early 15th century – even of surface.^[4]
• 1526 – of persons, on the same level.^[8]
• 1573 – noun.^[5][10]
• 1590 – verb, to match.^[5][10]
• 1752 – equal rights.^[4]
• 1925 – equal opportunity.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having the same quantity, measure or value as another.
2. Having the same rights, privileges or status: equal before the law.
3. The same for all members of a group: equal treatment.
4. Having the qualities needed; adequate: equal to the task.

Noun

1. A person or thing that is equal to another, especially in rank or ability.

Verb

1. To be equal to, especially in value.
2. To do or produce something equal to; to match or rival.

Word family

• equally
• coequal
• equal-area
• equalize
• equalise
• nonequal
• subequal
• unequal

Related words

• equality
• equation
• equator
• equity
• equivalent
• adequate
• iniquity
• egalitarian

Usage notes

Equal has been called an absolute term that cannot be compared (more equal), but the American Heritage notes that most of its Usage Panel accepted a more equal allocation in an earlier survey, and that the objection assumes mathematics is the model for everyday language.^[11]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker
10. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin