equivalent
/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms equivalents equivalenting equivalented æquivalent eq.
- adjective Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect; virtually equal. “To burn calories, a thirty-minute jog is equivalent to a couple of hamburgers.”
- adjective (mathematics) Of two sets, having a one-to-one correspondence.
- adjective (mathematics) Relating to the corresponding elements of an equivalence relation.
- adjective (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.
- adjective (chemistry) Having the equal ability to combine.
- adjective (cartography) Of a map, equal-area.
- adjective (geometry) Equal in measure but not admitting of superposition; applied to magnitudes. “A square may be equivalent to a triangle.”
- noun Anything that is virtually equal to something else, or has the same value, force, etc.
- noun (chemistry) An equivalent weight.
- verb (transitive) To make equivalent to; to equal.
Synonyms
on a par equipollent equinumerous equivalent weight combining weight eq tantamount
Etymology
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).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Equal in wortir or value, force, power, effect, import, and the like; alike in significance and value; of the same import or meaning.
- adjective Equal in measure but not admitting of superposition; --applied to magnitudes; as, a square may be equivalent to a triangle.
- noun Something equivalent; that which is equal in value, worth, weight, or force; as, to offer an equivalent for damage done.
- noun That comparative quantity by weight of an element which possesses the same chemical value as other elements, as determined by actual experiment and reference to the same standard. Specifically: (a) The comparative proportions by which one element replaces another in any particular compound; thus, as zinc replaces hydrogen in hydrochloric acid, their equivalents are 32.5 and 1. (b) The combining proportion by weight of a substance, or the number expressing this proportion, in any particular compound; as, the equivalents of hydrogen and oxygen in water are respectively 1 and 8, and in hydric dio
Etymology [L. aequivalens, -entis, p. pr. of aequivalere to have equal power; aequus equal + valere to be strong, be worth: cf. F. équivalent. See Equal, and Valiant.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “equivalent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details