Egalitarian
/ɪˌɡælɪˈtɛəriən/noun
Believing in or advocating equality among people, especially in social, political, or economic status.
Did you know?The modern political sense of “egalitarian” grew out of revolutionary-era French debates about equality and the dismantling of inherited social privilege.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eyǵʷ-
“A reconstructed root associated with being equal, level, or proportionate.”
Classical Latin
Latin
aequus
“Level, even, equal, fair, or just.”
Classical Latin
Latin
aequalis
“Equal, uniform, or matching in measure; derived from aequus.”
Old French
Old French
égal
“Equal or even; descended from Latin aequalis.”
18th Century
French
égalitaire
“Advocating equality; formed from égal with the suffix -aire.”
19th Century
English
egalitarian
“A person or doctrine committed to social and political equality.”