Inequality
/ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɒl.ə.ti/noun
The state of being unequal, especially in status, rights, opportunities, or resources.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor inaequalitas could describe both physical unevenness and social or moral unfairness, linking imbalance with injustice long before modern debates about inequality.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eǵ-
“A reconstructed root associated with driving, leading, or setting in motion; often proposed, with some uncertainty, as the deeper source of Latin aequus.”
Classical Latin
Latin
aequus
“Even, level, equal, fair, or just.”
Classical Latin
Latin
inaequalis
“Unequal, uneven, unfair; formed with in-, meaning “not,” plus aequalis, “equal.””
Late Latin
Latin
inaequalitas
“Unequalness, unevenness, or lack of fairness.”
14th Century
Anglo-French
inegalité
“Unequality or lack of equality; borrowed from Latin inaequalitas.”
15th Century
English
inequalite
“The condition of being unequal or uneven.”
Modern English
English
inequality
“Unequal conditions, treatment, status, or distribution.”
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