even
/ˈiːvən/ adjective, verb, adverb, noun, proper noun
Forms evener evenest evens evening evened eben e'en
- adjective Flat and level. “Clear out those rocks. The surface must be even.”
- adjective Without great variation. “Despite her fear, she spoke in an even voice.”
- adjective Equal in proportion, quantity, size, etc. “The distribution of food must be even.”
- adjective (mathematics, not comparable) Of an integer, divisible by two. “Four, fourteen and forty are even numbers.”
- adjective (informal) Of a number, convenient for rounding other numbers to; for example, ending in a zero.
- adjective On equal monetary terms; neither owing nor being owed.
- adjective (colloquial) On equal terms of a moral sort; quits. “You biffed me back at the barn, and I biffed you here—so now we're even.”
- adjective Parallel; on a level; reaching the same limit.
- verb (transitive) To make flat and level. “We need to even this playing field; the west goal is too low.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To equal or equate; to make the same.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To be equal. “Thrice nine evens twenty seven.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To place in an equal state, as to obligation, or in a state in which nothing is due on either side; to balance, as accounts; to make quits. “We need to even the score.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To set right; to complete.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To act up to; to keep pace with.
- adverb (archaic) Exactly; just; fully. “I fulfilled my instructions even as I had promised.”
- adverb In reality (used to imply an extreme example in the case mentioned). “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.”
- adverb Used to emphasise a comparative. “I was strong before, but now I am even stronger.”
- adverb Used to indicate a further degree of comparison. “Bob is taller than Alice, but Cameron is even taller than Bob.”
- adverb Rather; that is (used to signal a correction of a previous utterance). “My favorite actor is Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicholson, even.”
- noun (mathematics, diminutive) An even number. “So let's see. There are two evens here and three odds.”
Synonyms
flat regular round quits level uniform monotone on par square flatten settle match definitely so much as still in other words precisely evening eventide Lamut eve flush even out fifty-fifty tied yet
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English even, from Old English efn (“flat; level, even, equal”), from Proto-West Germanic *ebn, from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)em-no- (“equal, straight; flat, level, even”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian íeuwen (“even, flat”), West Frisian even (“even”), Alemannic German ëben (“even”), Cimbrian ébane (“even”), Dutch even (“even, equal, same”), effen (“leveled”), German eben (“even, flat, level”), Danish jævn (“even, flat, smooth”), Icelandic jafn (“even”), Norwegian Bokmål jevn (“even, smooth”), Norwegian Nynorsk jamn (“even, smooth”), Swedish jämn (“even, level, smooth”), Gothic 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns, “even”), Old Cornish eun (“equal, right”) (attested in Vocabularium Cornicum eun-hinsic (“iustus, i. e., just”)), Old Breton eun (“equal, right”) (attested in Eutychius Glossary eunt (“aequus, i. e., equal”)), Middle Breton effn, Breton eeun, Sanskrit अम्नस् (amnás, “(adverb) just, just now; at once”).
The verb descends from Middle English evenen, from Old English efnan; the adverb from Middle English evene, from Old English efne.
The traditional proposal connecting the Germanic adjective with the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym- (Latin imāgō (“picture, image, likeness, copy”), Latin aemulus (“competitor, rival”), Sanskrit यम (yamá, “pair, twin”)) is problematic from a phonological point of view.
For the meaning development compare with Latin aequus (“equal, level, even, flat, horizontal”), Russian ро́вный (róvnyj, “even, level, flat, smooth”), ра́вный (rávnyj, “equal”), по́ровну (pórovnu, “in equal parts”).
From Middle English even, from Old English ǣfen, from Proto-West Germanic *ābanþ, from Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs (“evening”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Äivend, Äiwend, Eeuwend (“evening”), West Frisian jûn (“evening”), Dutch avond (“evening”), Low German Avend (“evening”), German Abend (“evening”), Danish aften (“evening”). See also the related terms eve and evening.
Borrowed from Russian эве́н (evén), from Even эвэн (əwən). Compare Evenki.
Webster’s 1913
- Evening. See Eve, n. 1. [Poetic.] Shak.
- adjective Level, smooth, or equal in surface; not rough; free from irregularities; hence uniform in rate of motion of action; as, even ground; an even speed; an even course of conduct.
- adjective Equable; not easily ruffed or disturbed; calm; uniformly self-possessed; as, an even temper.
- verb To make even or level; to level; to lay smooth.
Etymology [OE. eve, even, efen, æfen. AS. æfen; akin to OS. aband, OFries, avend, D. avond, OHG. aband, Icel. aptan, Sw. afton, Dan. aften; of unknown origin. Cf. Eve, Evening.]
Etymology [AS. efen. efn; akin to OS. eban, D. even, OHG. eban, G. efen, Icel. jafn, Dan. jevn, Sw. jämn, Goth. ibns. Cf. Anent, Ebb.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “even”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details