Main Entry:

²even

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English efen; akin to Old High German eban even

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: having a horizontal surface : flat <even ground> b: being without break, indentation, or irregularity : smooth c: being in the same plane or line2 a: free from variation : uniform <his disposition was even> b: level 43 a: equal, fair <an even exchange> b (1): leaving nothing due on either side : square <we will not be even until you repay my visit> (2): fully revenged c: being in equilibrium : balanced ; specifically : showing neither profit nor loss dobsolete : candid4 a: being any of the integers (as −2, 0, and +2) that are divisible by two without leaving a remainder b: marked by an even number c: being a mathematical function such that f(x) = f(−x) where the value remains unchanged if the sign of the independent variable is reversed5: exact, precise <an even dollar>6: as likely as not : fifty-fifty <an even chance of winning>

synonyms see level, steady

— even·ly adverb

— even·ness \-vən-nəs\ noun

— on an even keel also on even keel

: in a sound or stable condition