Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “equivalent” come from?

Equivalent comes from English -valent, English -i-, English -y, Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, and Latin -ia, ultimately denoting a quality or state.

equivalent (English): Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect;...

Definitions

  1. Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect;...

Ancestry of “equivalent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-valentHaving one or more valences
2EnglishValence—
3FrenchValence—
4LatinValentia—
5Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
6Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
7Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “equivalent”

  • equivalently
  • nonequivalent
  • bioequivalent
  • inequivalent
  • milliequivalent
  • microequivalent
  • inequivalently
  • nanoequivalent
  • biequivalent
  • cyberequivalent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →