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Added 9 October 2026

adequate

/ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/ adjective

In Latin: adaequātus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about adequate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task.
she had adequate training
Sufficient for the purpose.
an adequate income
About average; acceptable.
more than adequate as a secretary

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin adaequātus, perfect passive participle of adaequō (“to make equal to”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from ad (“to, towards, at”) + aequō (“to make equal, equalize”), from aequus (“equal”). Cognate with French adéquat. By surface analysis, ad- + equate.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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