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equivalent

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: équivalent

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From equi- +‎ -valent. From Latin aequivalentem, accusative singular of aequivalēns, present active participle of aequivaleō (I am equivalent, have equal power).

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)
  • IPA(key): /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/

Adjective

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equivalent (comparative more equivalent, superlative most equivalent)

  1. Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect; virtually equal.
    Synonym: on a par
    To burn calories, a thirty-minute jog is equivalent to a couple of hamburgers.
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      For now to serve and to minister, servile and ministerial, are terms equivalent.
    • 2012 March, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist[1], volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3:
      A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place. Applying a force tangential to the knob is essentially equivalent to applying one perpendicular to a radial line defining the lever.
  2. (mathematics) Of two sets, having a one-to-one correspondence.
    Synonym: equinumerous
    • c. 2005, P N Gupta Kulbhushan, Comprehensive MCQ's in Mathematics, page 3:
      Finite sets A and B are equivalent sets only when n(A) = n(B) i.e., the number of elements in A and B are equal.
    • 1950, E. Kamke, Theory of Sets, page 16:
      All enumerable sets are equivalent to each other, but not to any finite set.
    • 2000, N. L. Carothers, Real Analysis, page 18:
      Equivalent sets should, by rights, have the same "number" of elements. For this reason we sometimes say that equivalent sets have the same cardinality.
    • 2006, Joseph Breuer, Introduction to the Theory of Sets, page 41:
      The equivalence theorem: If both M is equivalent to a subset N1 of N and N is equivalent to a subset M1 of M, then the sets M and N are equivalent to each other.
  3. (mathematics) Relating to the corresponding elements of an equivalence relation.
  4. (mathematics, category theory) Of two categories, (informally) such that one is essentially a relabeling of the other; (formally) related by a pair of functors such the composition of the one with the other is naturally isomorphic to the identity functor.
  5. (chemistry) Having the equal ability to combine.
  6. (cartography) Of a map, equal-area.
  7. (geometry) Equal in measure but not admitting of superposition; applied to magnitudes.
    A square may be equivalent to a triangle.

Usage notes

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  • In mathematics, this adjective can be used in phrases like "A and B are equivalent", "A is equivalent to B", and, less commonly, "A is equivalent with B".

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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equivalent (plural equivalents)

  1. Anything that is virtually equal to something else, or has the same value, force, etc.
    Coordinate term: counterpart
  2. (chemistry) An equivalent weight.

Usage notes

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Sometimes the noun equivalent to denote a comparable option is assailed for falsely implying absence of difference (false equivalence); when this problem arises, the noun counterpart, or a collocation such as rough equivalent or near equivalent, is sometimes a less misleading choice. In some contexts, the nouns analog or homolog are apt.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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equivalent (third-person singular simple present equivalents, present participle equivalenting, simple past and past participle equivalented)

  1. (transitive) To make equivalent to; to equal.

Catalan

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Latin aequivalentem. First attested in 1696.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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equivalent m or f (masculine and feminine plural equivalents)

  1. equivalent
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Noun

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equivalent m (plural equivalents)

  1. equivalent
  2. (chemistry) equivalent

References

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  1. ^ equivalent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Further reading

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Etymology 2

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Verb

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equivalent

  1. gerund of equivaldre
  2. gerund of equivaler

Dutch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Middle French équivalent, from Latin aequivalēns.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌeː.kʋi.vaːˈlɛnt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: equi‧va‧lent
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

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equivalent (not comparable)

  1. equivalent

Declension

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Declension of equivalent
uninflected equivalent
inflected equivalente
comparative
positive
predicative/adverbial equivalent
indefinite m./f. sing. equivalente
n. sing. equivalent
plural equivalente
definite equivalente
partitive equivalents

Derived terms

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Noun

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equivalent n (plural equivalenten)

  1. equivalent

Descendants

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  • Indonesian: ekuivalen, ekuivalensi

Occitan

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Etymology

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From Latin aequivalēns.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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equivalent m (feminine singular equivalenta, masculine plural equivalents, feminine plural equivalentas)

  1. equivalent
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