Skip to content
ARCHIEENGLISH
LearnPlayWordsRanking
  • Learn
  • Play
  • Words
  • Ranking
  • Mine
← Vocabulary

equivalent

UK/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/US/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/
nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,142 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: equivalents

An equivalent is something equal in value or meaning to another. The British equivalent, no exact equivalent, an equivalent qualification.

Translators spend their lives on the fact that exact equivalents rarely exist — a word carries associations that do not travel. In chemistry and mathematics the word is precise and means equal in a defined respect. The Latin means of equal worth.

Definitions of equivalent

  1. 1nounequivalentSomething equal in value or meaning to another.B2

    “The meal cost the equivalent of ten dollars in the local money.”

equivalent is an equal.

Where it comes from

Latin aequivalens means of equal worth — aequus, equal, plus valere, to be worth.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *h₂welh₁-

  2. Latin

    aequivalentem

  3. English, today

    equivalent

Built from

  • aequivaleō · Latin — to be equivalent, have equal power

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

equivalent in the wild

  • The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave) and the Italian-language equivalent Marchese.

    Marquess

  • Louisiana parishes, the organized boroughs of Alaska, independent cities, and the District of Columbia are equivalent to counties for administrative purposes.

    County (United States)

  • Alaska's Unorganized Borough is further divided into 11 census areas that are statistically equivalent to counties.

    County (United States)

  • An FTE of 1.0 is equivalent to a full-time worker or student, while an FTE of 0.5 signals half of a full work or school load.

    Full-time equivalent

  • The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Women's Royal Air Force and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service was "squadron officer".

    Squadron leader

1 / 2

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.