English
equidifferent
Equidifferent comes from Old French different, from Latin differēns ‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-1‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti1‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō1‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō1‘to bear’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō1‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferēns1‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400different1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500different1
- English1500–presentdifferent1
- Englishtodayequidifferent1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English equidifferent
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-Wiktionary, English equidifferent‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéretiWiktionary, English equidifferent‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferōWiktionary, English equidifferent‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferōWiktionary, English equidifferent‘to bear’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferōWiktionary, English equidifferent‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferēnsWiktionary, English equidifferent‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differentWiktionary, English equidifferent
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differentWiktionary, English equidifferent
- English1500–presentdifferentWiktionary, English equidifferent
- EnglishtodayequidifferentWiktionary, English equidifferent
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, bearing, prefer, burden, barrel, barn, fury, baron, bark, bore, breeze, broom, barrow, embargo, berth, fret, ferret, furtive, insufferable, bahar, bier, birr, bairn, burnish, barrette, proffer, 112 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, 90 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, infertility, infertile, 66 more
through Latin ferō ‘to bear’
offer, transfer, translation, relative, extraordinary, reference, relation, relate, suffer, frustration, translate, strangely, fertility, referendum, referee, fertile, extravagant, frustrate, elated, confer, infra, infer, fertilization, extraneous, ablation, differentiation, elation, collation, strangeness, deference, collate, fertilize, ablative, oblate, estrange, deferential, efferent, indifferently, 69 more
through Latin differō ‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter,…’
differ, defer, dilate, 38 more
through Latin differēns ‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
difference, indifferent, differentially, differentiable, differentiator, 36 more
through Middle English different
Today it means
adj Having equal differences.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “equidifferent”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / equidifferent