WordofTheDay.US

equivalent

/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ adjective

Latin root: aequivalentem Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about equivalent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect; virtually equal.
    To burn calories, a thirty-minute jog is equivalent to a couple of hamburgers.
  2. Of two sets, having a one-to-one correspondence.
  3. Relating to the corresponding elements of an equivalence relation.

noun

  1. Anything that is virtually equal to something else, or has the same value, force, etc.
    He's the Italian equivalent of a district attorney.
  2. An equivalent weight.

verb

  1. To make equivalent to; to equal.

Origin

From Latin aequivalentem, accusative singular of aequivalēns, present active participle of aequivaleō (“to be equivalent, have equal power”). By surface analysis, equi- + -valent. Mostly displaced native Middle English efenmete (See evenmete).

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