even

even · adjective, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*(h₁)em-no-“equal, straight; flat, level, even”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*ebnaz
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*ebn
4. Old English · inherited fromefn“flat; level, even, equal”
5. Middle English · inherited fromeven
6. English todayeven

From Middle English even, from Old English efn (“flat; level, even, equal”), from Proto-West Germanic *ebn, from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)em-no- (“equal, straight; flat, level, even”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian íeuwen (“even, flat”), West Frisian even (“even”), Alemannic German ëben (“even”), Cimbrian ébane (“even”), Dutch even (“even, equal, same”), effen (“leveled”), German eben (“even, flat, level”), Danish jævn (“even, flat, smooth”), Icelandic jafn (“even”), Norwegian Bokmål jevn (“even, smooth”), Norwegian Nynorsk jamn (“even, smooth”), Swedish jämn (“even, level, smooth”), Gothic 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns, “even”), Old Cornish eun (“equal, right”) (attested in Vocabularium Cornicum eun-hinsic (“iustus, i. e., just”)), Old Breton eun (“equal, right”) (attested in Eutychius Glossary eunt (“aequus, i. e., equal”)), Middle Breton effn, Breton eeun, Sanskrit अम्नस् (amnás, “(adverb) just, just now; at once”). The traditional proposal connecting the Germanic adjective with the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym- (Latin imāgō (“picture, image, likeness, copy”), Latin aemulus (“competitor, rival”), Sanskrit यम (yamá, “pair, twin”)) is problematic from a phonological point of view. For the meaning development compare with Latin aequus (“equal, level, even, flat, horizontal”), Russian ро́вный (róvnyj, “even, level, flat, smooth”), ра́вный (rávnyj, “equal”), по́ровну (pórovnu, “in equal parts”).

even · adverb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*(h₁)ém-no-
2. Proto-Germanic*ebnaz
3. Proto-West Germanic*ebn
4. Old Englishefn
5. Old Englishefne
6. Middle Englishevene
7. English todayeven

Inherited from Middle English evene, from Old English efne, from efn (“even”) + -e (adverbial suffix).

even · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European*(h₁)ém-no-
2. Proto-Germanic*ebnaz
3. Proto-Germanic*ebnōną
4. Proto-West Germanic*ebnōn
5. Old Englishefnian
6. Middle Englishevenen
7. English todayeven

Inherited from Middle English evenen, from Old English efnian, from Proto-West Germanic *ebnōn, from Proto-Germanic *ebnōną, from *ebnaz (“even”) + *-ōną (factitive suffix).

even · noun⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
4. Proto-Germanic*ēbanþs
5. Proto-West Germanic*ābanþ
6. Old Englishǣfen
7. Middle Englisheven
8. English todayeven

From Middle English even, from Old English ǣfen, from Proto-West Germanic *ābanþ, from Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs (“evening”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Äivend, Äiwend, Eeuwend (“evening”), West Frisian jûn (“evening”), Dutch avond (“evening”), Low German Avend (“evening”), German Abend (“evening”), Danish aften (“evening”). See also the related terms eve and evening.

Even · proper noun, noun⁵

1. eve · derived fromэвэн
2. Russian · borrowed fromэве́н
3. English todayEven

Borrowed from Russian эве́н (evén), from Even эвэн (əwən). Compare Evenki.

Words from the same roots