even

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See also Even, and éven

Contents

English [edit]

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Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Middle English, from Old English efen, efn, emn (“even, equal, like, level, just, impartial, true”), from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (“flat, level, even; equal, straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)emno- (“equal, straight; flat, level, even”). Cognate with West Frisian even (“even”), Dutch even (“even, equal, same”), German eben (“even, flat, level”), Danish jævn (“even, flat, smooth”), Swedish jämn (“even, level, smooth”), Icelandic jafn, jamn (“even, equal”), 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 अस्नस् (amnás, “(adverb) just, just now; at once”).

The traditional proposal connecting the Germanic adjective with the root Proto-Indo-European *(H)aim-, *h₂eim-, *(H)iem- (“similarity, resemblance”) (Latin imāgō (“picture, image, likeness, copy”), Latin aemulus (“competitor, rival”), Sanskrit यमस् (yamás, “pair, twin”)) is problematic from a phonological point of view.[1]

Adjective [edit]

even (comparative more even, superlative most even)

  1. Flat and level.
    Clear out those rocks. The surface must be even.
  2. Without great variation.
    Despite her fear, she spoke in an even voice.
  3. Equal in proportion, quantity, size, etc.
    The distribution of food must be even.
  4. (not comparable, of an integer) Divisible by two.
    Four, fourteen and forty are even numbers.
  5. (of a number) Convenient for rounding other numbers to; for example, ending in a zero.
    • 1989, Jerry Sterner, Other People's Money, Act I:
      Coles. How many shares have you bought, Mr. Garfinkle?
      Garfinkle. One hundred and ninety-six thousand. […]
      Jorgenson. […] How'd you figure out to buy such an odd amount? Why not two hundred thousand — nice even number. Thought you liked nice even numbers.
    • 1998, Marya Hornbacher, Wasted, chapter 8, 1999 HarperPerennial paperback edition, ISBN 0060930934, page 253 [1]:
      He put me on the scale in my underwear and socks: 82 pounds. […] I left, humming all day long, remembering that once upon a time my ideal weight had been 84, and now I'd even beaten that. I decided 80 was a better number, a nice even number to be.
  6. On equal monetary terms; neither owing or being owed.
  7. (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.
Usage notes [edit]
  • Because of confusion with the "divisible by two" sense, use of even to mean "convenient for rounding" is rare; the synonym round is more common.
Synonyms [edit]
Antonyms [edit]
  • (flat and level): uneven
  • (of an integer): odd
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
flat and level
without great variation
equal
arithmetic: divisible by two

Verb [edit]

even (third-person singular simple present evens, present participle evening, simple past and past participle evened)

  1. To make flat and level.
    We need to even this playing field; the west goal is too low.
Synonyms [edit]

(to make flat and level): flatten, level

Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
make even

References [edit]

  1. ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2000). “Altindisch amnás, urgermanisch *eƀna-, kelt. *eμno-.” In: Indoarisch, Iranisch und die Indogermanistik. Akten des Kolloquiums der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft vom 2. bis 5. Oktober 1997 in Erlangen, Forssman, Bernhard & Plath, Robert (eds.), Wiesbaden, pp. 491–505. In German.

Etymology 2 [edit]

Old English efen

Adverb [edit]

even (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) exactly, just, fully
    I fulfilled my instructions even as I had promised.
    You are leaving tonight? — Even so.
    This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you.
  2. Implying an extreme example in the case mentioned, as compared to the implied reality
    Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.
    Did you even make it through the front door?
    That was before I was even born.
  3. Emphasizing a comparative
    I was strong before; but now I am even stronger.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
exactly, fully
implying extreme example
emphasising comparative

Etymology 3 [edit]

Old English ǣfen. Cognate with Dutch avond, German Abend.

Noun [edit]

even (plural evens)

  1. (archaic or poetic) Evening.
    • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew ch. 8:
      When the even was come they brought unto him many that were possessed with devylles [...].
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
Evening of the day

Statistics [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

Dutch [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Old Dutch *evan, from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz.

Pronunciation [edit]

Adverb [edit]

even

  1. shortly, briefly
    Ik zal even voor u kijken.
    I shall have a look for you shortly.
  2. for a short period, for a while
    In de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw bloeide Vollenhove weer even op.[2] — In the second half of the 19th century, Vollenhove flourished again for a while.
  3. for a moment; modal particle indicating that the speaker expects that something will require little time or effort.
    Zou je even de deur voor me dicht willen doen?
    Could you please close the door for me (for a moment)?
  4. just as, to the same degree (used with an adjective)
    In het midden van de vloer stond een tafel van wel vier meter hoog en een even grote stoel er bij.
    In the middle of the floor there stood a four-metre tall table and a chair just as large beside it.
  5. (Netherlands) quite, rather
    Die is even kwaad!
    He's rather angry!

Synonyms [edit]

Adjective [edit]

even (not comparable)

  1. even, opposite of odd

Declension [edit]

Declension of even
positive
predicative/adverbial even
neuter
singular		 indefinite even
definite even
common singular even
plural even
partitive evens

Antonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

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