equalizer

English

graphic equalizer (sense 4)

Alternative forms

• equaliser

Etymology

From equalize +‎ -er (nominal suffix: agent noun).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ē′kwə-lī′zər
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.kwəˌlaɪ.zə/
• (General American, Canada, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈi.kwəˌlaɪ.zəɹ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.kwəˌlɑe.zə/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.kwəˌlaɪ.zɐ/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.kwaˌlaj.zɜʳ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: e‧qual‧iz‧er

Noun

equalizer (plural equalizers)

1. One who makes equal; a balancer.

   Death is the great equalizer.

   • 2001 March 23, Julia L. Wilkinson, quoting Robert Seidman, “[An Awesome Tool; A New Way of Life] Benefits of USENET Bulletin Boards and the Internet Community”, in My Life at AOL, [Bloomington, Ind.]: 1stBooks, →ISBN, page 124:

     The Internet serves as an equalizer of sorts against common discriminations based on race, gender and age. You have to^[sic] the opportunity to assess someone based on what they are saying, not WHO is saying it. I think this can provide for some very worthwhile exchanges and allow people who might not do so otherwise, to come to know each other. The downside is that as they say, on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. You can lie or say whatever you want and hide behind anonymity.

   • 2024 September 16, Opinion Department, “TIAS | It’s Time to Weed Out Weeder Courses”, in The Cornell Daily Sun‎^[1]:

     Practically, it can be seen clearly that weeder courses are not equalizers. In fact, they exacerbate inequality and continue to push wealthy and privileged students to the top while putting down minority and low-income students.

2. A device that balances various quantities.
3. (sports) A goal, run, point, etc. that equalizes the score.
   • 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport‎^[2]:

     [Bendtner was central to it at all, firstly firing home, via a deflection off Gareth McAuley, after being teed up by Sebastien Larsson's neat backheel, and then a minute later crossing for Elmohamady to head in an equaliser.

   • 2011 May 16, Mike Driscoll, “Pirates plunder top spot with late attack”, in Illawarra Mercury‎^[3], page 36:

     Mariners scored a run in the seventh inning and the equaliser in the top of the ninth, after Braves’ starting pitcher Ashley Crump had dominated—throwing six scoreless innings for just two hits.

5. (music, electronics) An electronic audio device for altering the frequencies of sound recordings.
   • 1991, Macworld‎^[4], volume 8, PC World Communications:

     Several digital effects are supported by Deck, ranging from a digital equalizer, which lets you accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies, to a stereoizer, which processes a mono- phonic recording to simulate stereo.

6. A device, such as a bar, for operating two brakes, especially a pair of hub brakes for an automobile, with equal force.
7. Any device for equalizing the pull of electromagnets.
8. A conductor of low resistance joining the armature ends of the series field coils of dynamos connected in parallel.
9. A sliding panel to preserve the lateral stability of an aeroplane.
10. (mathematics) A set of arguments where two or more functions have equal values; the solution set of an equation.
11. (category theory) A morphism whose codomain is the domain of a parallel pair of morphisms and which forms part of the limit of that parallel pair. Equivalently, a morphism which equalizes a parallel pair of morphisms in a limiting way, which is to say that any other morphism which equalizes that parallel pair factors through this limiting morphism; and moreover such factorization is unique.

    Hypernyms: monomorphism, pullback

12. (Canada, US, slang) A weapon, usually a blackjack or gun.
    • 1950, C. Merton Babcock, “The Vocabulary of Social Life on the American Frontier”, in Western Folklore, volume 9, number 2, page 138:

      Familiar epithets for the revolver were equalizer, shootin' iron . . . smoke wagon.

Synonyms

• (sports): tying goal

Derived terms

• coequalizer
• equalizer knot

Translations

a balancer

• Bulgarian: изравнител m (izravnitel), балансир (balansir)
• Czech: vyrovnávač m, kompenzátor m
• Finnish: tasaaja (fi)
• Russian: баланси́р (ru) m (balansír)

a device that balances quantities

• Finnish: tasain
• Maori: pūhōrite

a goal that equalizes the score

• Bulgarian: изравнителен гол m (izravnitelen gol)
• Finnish: tasoitusmaali
• French: but égalisateur (fr) m
• German: Ausgleich (de) m
• Japanese: 同点ゴール (dōten gōru), 同点弾 (dōtendan)
• Korean: 동점골 (dongjeomgol)
• Portuguese: gol de empate m

device for altering audio frequencies

• Bulgarian: еквилайзер (ekvilajzer)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 均衡器 (zh) (jūnhéngqì)

• Czech: ekvalizér m
• Dutch: equalizer (nl) m, (unofficial) equaliser m
• Finnish: taajuuskorjain
• Greek: εξισωτής m (exisotís), εκουαλάιζερ n (ekoualáizer)
• Japanese: イコライザー (ikoraizā)
• Korean: 이퀄라이저 (ikwollaijeo)
• Russian: эквала́йзер (ru) m (ekvalájzer)
• Spanish: ecualizador
• Ukrainian: еквала́йзер m (ekvalájzer)

Dutch

equalizer (sense 1)

Alternative forms

• equaliser (unofficial)

Etymology

Borrowed from English equalizer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.kʋəˌlɑi̯.zər/, /ˈi.kʋaːˌlɑi̯.zər/, /ˈiː.kʋəˌlɑi̯.zər/, /ˈiː.kʋaːˌlɑi̯.zər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: e‧qua‧li‧zer

Noun

equalizer m (plural equalizers)

2. (music, electronics) equalizer (device for altering audio frequencies)