Even
/ˈiː.vən/noun
Level, equal, or flat; also used for numbers divisible by two.
Did you know?English even comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “level” or “equal,” and that same root also gave English the word equal through a very different Latin path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ep-
“to reach, attain; to fit, be equal”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ebnaz
“level, even, plain”
Old English
OE
efen
“level, equal, alike”
Middle English
English
even
“level, equal; also smooth or flat”
Modern English
English
even
“level, equal, or divisible by two”