équité

Forms

équité f (plural équités)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin aequitās (“spirit of justice, equality, just proportion”),^[2][1][3] from aequus (“equal”), hence “impartial”.^[3][4] The Latin adjective is also the source of égal and of the prefix équi-.^[3]

Cognate with Occitan equitat, Spanish equidad and Italian equità.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a document of 1262 published by Fagniez.^[2][6] Bloch and Wartburg, the GLLF and Littré cite Jean de Meun (about 1265);^[4][7] Littré quotes Vraie fois de necessité, Non tant seulement d'equité, Nous fait de Dieu sept choses croire “true faith of necessity, not of equity only, makes us believe seven things of God”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

As in Latin, the word names the just appreciation of what is due to each person according to natural, sometimes divine, justice, hence équité divine; it is often set against positive law, uses that are now archaic or historical.^[3] The adjective équitable is recorded about 1512^[3] (1517 for Bloch and Wartburg).^[4]

By metonymy it came to mean the fairness of what conforms to this principle, as in the equity of a law or a judgement (Valéry, 1921).^[3][7] After 1950 the notion gained new weight in politics, carrying the idea of equality into social life together with a principle of justice linked to human rights.^[3]

Timeline

• 1262 – First record, in a document published by Fagniez.^[2]
• c. 1265 – Jean de Meun uses equité.^[7][5]
• c. 1512 – First record of équitable.^[3]
• 1921 – Valéry uses it for the fairness of a thing.^[3]
• after 1950 – The word gains a political and social sense.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Fairness: the sense of natural justice in judging what is due to each person: agir avec équité.^[8][2] En toute équité, in all fairness.^[8][2]
2. (law) Justice based on natural right rather than on the rules of written law: juger en équité, as an arbitrator may.^[8][5][7]
3. The fairness of a thing: l'équité d'un impôt.^[8][7]

Word family

• équitable

Related words

• égal
• Latin aequus

Usage notes

Littré notes that Palsgrave already gave the pronunciation é-ki-té in the 16th century, as today.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert