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even

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also:Even,éven,andeven-

English

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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  • eben(etymology 1: adverb, adjective)
  • e'en(etymology 1: adverb, etymology 2: noun; contraction, poetic, archaic)

Pronunciation

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  • (UK)IPA(key):/ˈiːvən/
  • (US)IPA(key):/ˈivən/,[ˈivn̩]
  • Audio(US):(file)
  • Hyphenation:e‧ven
  • Rhymes:-iːvən

Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englisheven,fromOld Englishefn(“flat; level, even, equal”),fromProto-West Germanic*ebn,fromProto-Germanic*ebnaz,fromProto-Indo-European*(h₁)em-no-(“equal, straight; flat, level, even”).

Cognate withWest Frisianeven(“even”),Low Germaneven(“even”),Dutcheven(“even, equal, same”),effen,Germaneben(“even, flat, level”),Danishjævn(“even, flat, smooth”),Swedishjämn(“even, level, smooth”),Icelandicjafn,jamn(“even, equal”),Old Cornisheun(“equal, right”)(attested in Vocabularium Cornicumeun-hinsic(“iustus, i. e., just”)),Old Bretoneun(“equal, right”)(attested in Eutychius Glossaryeunt(“aequus, i. e., equal”)),Middle Bretoneffn,Bretoneeun,Sanskritअम्नस्(amnás,“(adverb) just, just now; at once”).

The verb descends fromMiddle Englishevenen,fromOld Englishefnan;the adverb fromMiddle Englishevene,fromOld Englishefne.

The traditional proposal connecting the Germanic adjective with the rootProto-Indo-European*h₂eym-(Latinimāgō(“picture, image, likeness, copy”),Latinaemulus(“competitor, rival”),Sanskritयम(yamá,“pair, twin”)) is problematic from a phonological point of view.[1]

For the meaning development compare with Latinaequus(“equal, level, even, flat, horizontal”),Russianро́вный(róvnyj,“even, level, flat, smooth”),ра́вный(rávnyj,“equal”),по́ровну(pórovnu,“in equal parts”).

Adjective

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even(comparativemoreeven,superlativemosteven)

  1. Flatandlevel.
    Clear out those rocks. The surface must beeven.
  2. Without greatvariation.
    Despite her fear, she spoke in anevenvoice.
  3. Equalin proportion, quantity, size, etc.
    The distribution of food must beeven.
    Call iteven.
  4. (not comparable,of an integer)Divisiblebytwo.
    Four, fourteen and forty areevennumbers.
  5. (of a number)Convenient forroundingother 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 — niceevennumber. Thought you liked niceevennumbers.
    • 1998,Marya Hornbacher,chapter 8, inWasted‎[1],paperback edition,HarperPerennial,published1999,→ISBN,page253:
      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 niceevennumber to be.
  6. Onequalmonetaryterms;neitherowingnor beingowed.
  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'reeven.
  8. Parallel;on a level; reaching the same limit.
  9. (obsolete)Without an irregularity, flaw, or blemish; pure.
  10. (obsolete)Associate; fellow; of the same condition.
    • c. 1382–1395,John Wycliffe, Bible - Matthew 18.29
      Hisevenservant.
Usage notes
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  • Because of confusion with the "divisible by two" sense, use ofevento mean "convenient for rounding" is rare; the synonymroundis more common for this sense.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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  • (antonym(s) of“flat and level”):uneven
  • (antonym(s) of“divisible by two”):odd
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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even(third-person singular simple presentevens,present participleevening,simple past and past participleevened)

  1. (transitive)To makeflatandlevel.
    We need toeventhis playing field; the west goal is too low.
  2. (transitive,obsolete)Toequalorequate;to make the same.
  3. (intransitive,obsolete)To beequal.
    Thrice nineevenstwenty seven.
    • 1609,Richard Carew,The Survey of Cornwall.[…],new edition, London:[…]B. Law,[…];Penzance, Cornwall: J. Hewett, published1769,→OCLC:
      A redoubled numbering neverevenethwith the first.
  4. (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 makequits.
    We need toeventhe score.
    • c.1604–05,William Shakespeare,All's Well that Ends Well,act 1, scene 3:
      Madam, the care I have had toevenyour
      content I wish might be found in the calendar of my
      past endeavours, for then we wound our modesty, and
      make foul the clearness of our deservings, when of
      ourselves we publish them.
  5. (transitive,obsolete)To set right; tocomplete.
  6. (transitive,obsolete)To act up to; to keeppacewith.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Adverb

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even(notcomparable)

  1. (archaic)Exactly,just,fully.
    I fulfilled my instructionseven asI had promised.
    You are leaving tonight? —Evenso.
    This is my commandment, that ye love one another,evenas I have loved you.
  2. In reality; implying an extreme example in the case mentioned, as compared to the implied reality.
    Evena blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.
    Did youevenmake it through the front door?
    That was before I wasevenborn.
    • 1897December (indicated as1898),Winston Churchill,chapter I, inThe Celebrity: An Episode,New York, N.Y.:The Macmillan Company;London:Macmillan & Co., Ltd.,→OCLC,page 2:
      He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, andevenhad he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.
    • 1910,Emerson Hough,chapter II, inThe Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise,Indianapolis, Ind.:The Bobbs-Merrill Company,→OCLC:
      Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…].Evensuch a boat as theMount Vernonoffered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question,evenhad the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
    • 1921,Ben Travers,chapter 1, inA Cuckoo in the Nest,Garden City, N.Y.:Doubleday, Page & Company,published1925,→OCLC:
      He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom,evenin these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.
    • 2013June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”,inThe Economist,volume407,number8842,page29:
      Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, oreventhousands, of square miles.
  3. Emphasizing a comparative.
    I was strong before, but now I amevenstronger.
  4. Signalling a correction of one's previous utterance;rather,that is.
    My favorite actor is Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicholson,even.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Noun

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even(pluralevens)

  1. (mathematics,diminutive)Aneven number.
    So let's see. There are twoevenshere and three odds.
Translations
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References

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  1. ^Schaffner, Stefan (2000). “Altindischamnás,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

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FromMiddle Englisheven,fromOld Englishǣfen,fromProto-West Germanic*ābanþ,fromProto-Germanic*ēbanþs(“evening”).

Cognate withSaterland FrisianÄivend,Äiwend,Eeuwend(“evening”),West Frisianjûn(“evening”),Dutchavond(“evening”),Low GermanAvend(“evening”),GermanAbend(“evening”),Danishaften(“evening”).See also the related termseveandevening.

Noun

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even(pluralevens)

  2. (archaicorpoetic)Evening.
    We'll meet ateven,when the sun is set.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Anagrams

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Chinese

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Etymology

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FromEnglishevenoreveniforeventhough.

Pronunciation

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This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with theIPAthen please add some!
Particularly: “Mandarin?”

Conjunction

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even

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese,Taiwanese Mandarin)even though;even if

Synonyms

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Dutch

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Alternative forms

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  • effen(for the temporal senses of the adverb; colloquial; standard)
  • effe(for the temporal senses of the adverb; colloquial; non-standard)
  • ff(for the temporal senses of the adverb; slang, common chat abbreviation)

Etymology

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FromMiddle Dutcheven,effen,fromOld Dutch*evan,fromProto-West Germanic*ebn,fromProto-Germanic*ebnaz.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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even

  1. shortly,briefly
    Ik zalevenvoor u kijken.
    I shall have a look for youshortly.
  2. for a shortperiod,for awhile
    In de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw bloeide Vollenhove weerevenop.nl:Vollenhove#Geschiedenis
    In the second half of the 19th century, Vollenhove flourished againfor a while.
  3. for a moment;modal particle indicating that the speaker expects that something will require little time or effort.
    Zou jeevende 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 eenevengrote stoel er bij.
    In the middle of the floor there stood a four-metre tall table and a chairjust aslarge beside it.
  5. (Netherlands)quite,rather
    Die isevenkwaad!
    He'sratherangry!

Synonyms

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Descendants

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  • Javindo:efen
  • Negerhollands:even,eeven
  • →Caribbean Javanese:éfe(via Sranan Tongo)
  • →Kwinti:even

Adjective

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even(notcomparable)

  1. even,opposite ofodd
    Antonym:oneven

Declension

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Declension ofeven
uninflected even
inflected even
comparative —
positive
predicative/adverbial even
indefinite m./f.sing. even
n.sing. even
plural even
definite even
partitive evens

Derived terms

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Anagrams

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Middle Dutch

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Etymology

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FromOld Dutch*evan,fromProto-West Germanic*ebn,fromProto-Germanic*ebnaz.

Adjective

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ēven

  1. even,equal

Declension

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This adjective needs aninflection-table template.

Descendants

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Adverb

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ēven

  1. just as,equally

Descendants

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Further reading

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Middle English

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Etymology 1

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FromOld Englishefn,fromProto-West Germanic*ebn,fromProto-Germanic*ebnaz.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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even

  1. smoothly,evenly
  2. impartially,justly
Descendants
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References
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Etymology 2

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FromOld Englishǣfen,fromProto-West Germanic*ābanþ,fromProto-Germanic*ēbanþs.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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even(pluralevenes)

  1. eve
Descendants
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References
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Etymology 3

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Noun

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even

  1. Alternative form ofhevene

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Noun

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evenm

  1. definitesingularofeve

Anagrams

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