equal

English Online Dictionary. What means equal‎? What does equal mean?

English

Alternative forms

• æqual, æquall (both archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English equal, from Latin aequālis. Doublet of aequalis and egal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiːkwəl/
• (dialectal, archaic) IPA^(key): /ˈiːkəl/
• Rhymes: -iːkwəl

Adjective

equal (not generally comparable, comparative more equal, superlative most equal)

1. (not comparable) The same in all respects.
2. (mathematics, not comparable) Exactly identical, having the same value.
3. (obsolete) Fair, impartial.
4. (comparable) Adequate; sufficiently capable or qualified.
5. (obsolete) Not variable; equable; uniform; even.
6. (music) Intended for voices of one kind only, either all male or all female; not mixed.

Usage notes

• In mathematics, this adjective can be used in phrases like "A and B are equal", "A is equal to B", and, less commonly, "A is equal with B".
• The most common comparative use is the ironic expression more equal.

Synonyms

• (the same in all respects): identical
• (the same in all relevant respects): equivalent
• (unvarying): even, fair, uniform, unvarying

Translations

Verb

equal (third-person singular simple present equals, present participle (Commonwealth) equalling or (US) equaling, simple past and past participle (Commonwealth) equalled or (US) equaled)

1. (mathematics, copulative) To be equal to, to have the same value as; to correspond to.

2. (transitive) To make equivalent to; to cause to match.
3. (transitive) To match in degree or some other quality, to match up to.
4. (copulative, informal) To have as consequence, to amount to, to mean.

Synonyms

• (to be equal to): be, is
• (informal, have as its consequence): entail, imply, lead to, mean, result in, spell

Translations

Noun

equal (countable and uncountable, plural equals)

1. A person or thing of equal status to others.
2. (obsolete) State of being equal; equality.

Synonyms

• (person or thing of equal status to others): peer

Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

• equality

References

Anagrams

• Quale, quale, queal

Middle English

Alternative forms

• equale

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin aequālis, of unknown origin. Doublet of egal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːkwal/, /ɛːˈkwaːl/

Adjective

equal (Late Middle English)

1. identical in amount, extent, or portion
2. even or smooth (of surface)

Descendants

• English: equal
• Scots: aiqual

References

• “ēquā̆l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.