equal

Etymology

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

adj

1. (not comparable) The same in all respects.
   Equal conditions should produce equal results.
   All men are created equal.
   They who are not disposed to receive them may let them alone or reject them; it is equal to me. 1705, George Cheyne, The Philosophical Principles of Religion Natural and Revealed
   I now believe that evolution, or deevolution, never ends short of death, that no society has ever achieved an absolute pinnacle, that all humans are not created equal. In fact, I believe attempts to create some abstract equalization create a morass of injustices that rebound on the equalizers. Equal justice and equal opportunity are ideals we should seek, but we should recognize that humans administer the ideals and that humans do not have equal ability. 1980 July, Frank Herbert, “Dune Genesis”, in Omni, volume 2, number 10, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 74, column 2; republished as Ultimate Guide To Dune (Part 2) Book One (1:11:30), 2017
2. (mathematics, not comparable) Exactly identical, having the same value.
   All right angles are equal.
3. (obsolete) Fair, impartial.
   it could not but much redound to the lustre of your milde and equall Government, when as private persons are hereby animated to thinke ye better pleas'd with publick advice, then other statists have been delighted heretofore with publicke flattery. 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica
4. (comparable) Adequate; sufficiently capable or qualified.
   This test is pretty tough, but I think I'm equal to it.
5. (obsolete) Not variable; equable; uniform; even.
   an equal movement
6. (music) Intended for voices of one kind only, either all male or all female; not mixed.

verb

1. (mathematics, copulative) To be equal to, to have the same value as; to correspond to.
   Two plus two equals four.
2. (transitive) To make equivalent to; to cause to match.
   David equaled the water levels of the bottles, so they now both contain exactly 1 liter.
   There was an even more remarkable attendance figure that underscores the devotion exhibited by our fans, because it was in 1991 that they set a single season in-stadium attendance record that has never been equaled. 2004, Mary Levy, Jim Kelly, Marv Levy: Where Else Would You Rather Be?
3. (informal) To have as its consequence.
   Losing this deal equals losing your job.
   Might does not equal right.

noun

1. A person or thing of equal status to others.
   We're all equals here.
   This beer has no equal.
   The two who have no equals become friends without equal. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 192
   They had hoped their son, a stockbroker, would marry a financial equal, but Suzette, a teacher, did not come from money. 2005, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler, On Grief and Grieving, page 150
2. (obsolete) State of being equal; equality.