Etymograph

English

equable

Equable comes from Latin aequābilis ‘equal, similar, like’, from aequō ‘make level’, and ultimately from Old Latin aiquos.

  1. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEaiquos1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequus2‘even, level’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequō2‘make level’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequābilis2‘equal, similar, like’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1841equable2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin aequus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English equable
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1841, Charles Dickens: “The cheerful influence of the morning seemed to have…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEaiquosWiktionary, Latin aequus
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequusWiktionary, English equable‘even, level’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequōWiktionary, English equable‘make level’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaequābilisWiktionary, English equable‘equal, similar, like’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1841equableWiktionary, English equable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1841, Charles Dickens: “The cheerful influence of the morning seemed to have…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *aikʷos

inequality, 10 more

through Old Latin aiquos

equality, inequitable, 11 more

through Latin aequus ‘even, level’

equal, equity, egalitarian, equitable, 13 more

through Latin aequō ‘make level’

equation, equate, 2 more

Today it means

adj Unvarying, calm and steady; constant and uniform.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “equable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin aequus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old Latin aiquos / equable

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