adjective
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even-tempered; placid
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unvarying; uniform
an equable climate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of equable
1635–45; < Latin aequābilis that can be made equal, similar, equivalent to aequ ( us ) equal, even + -ābilis -able
Explanation
The adjective equable means "not easily irritated" or "steady," like someone's equable manner that makes everyone instantly feel comfortable. To correctly pronounce equable, accent the first syllable: "EK-wah-bul." It comes from the Latin word aequabilis, meaning "equal, consistent, uniform." An equable person isn't moody. You wouldn't expect him or her to fly into a rage one minute and be humming a happy tune the next. Instead, someone who is equable takes things in stride — the good, the bad, and the ugly, with a smile and the occasional reminder that "this too shall pass."
Vocabulary lists containing equable
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Society and Solitude
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
