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tantamount

[ tan-tuh-mount ]
/ ˈtĂŠn təˌmaʊnt /
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adjective
equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or signification: His angry speech was tantamount to a declaration of war.
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Origin of tantamount

First recorded in 1635–45; adjective use of obsolete noun, “that which amounts to as much, something equivalent,” itself a noun use of an obsolete verb, “to amount to as much,” from Anglo-French tant amunter or Italian tanto montare “to amount to as much,” from Latin tantum, neuter of adjective tantus “of such size, so great”; see tanto, amount

synonym study for tantamount

See equal.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tantamount

paramount, tantamount
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tantamount in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tantamount

tantamount
/ (ˈtĂŠntəˌmaʊnt) /

adjective
(postpositive foll by to) as good (as); equivalent in effect (to)his statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt

Word Origin for tantamount

C17: basically from Anglo-French tant amunter to amount to as much, from tant so much + amunter to amount
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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