Equity Meaning
/ˈɛk.wɪ.ti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounFairness, impartiality, or justice as determined in light of "natural law" or "natural right".
nounVarious related senses originating with the Court of Chancery in late Medieval England, The power of a court of law having extra-statutory discretion, to decide legal matters and to provide legal relief apart from, though not in violation of, the prevailing legal code; in some cases, a court "sitting in equity" may provide relief to a complainant should the code be found either inapplicable or insufficient to do so.
Sentence Examples
The company is open for equity participation by anybody.
It's an equity issue.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The company's ____ was divided among the founders after the merger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The concept of ____ in education means that every student gets what they need to succeed.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English equitee, equytee, from Old French equité, from Latin aequitās (“uniformity; impartiality; fairness”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Sufficeth what they in their graue wiſedoomes ſhall proſcribe, I in no ſorte will ſeeke to acquite, nor preſumptuouſly attempte to diſpute againſt the equity of their iudgementes, but humble and proſtrate appeale to their mercies."
— 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 2:
"“One of the staff said, ‘That’s fine, Delia. But what do wolves have to do with equity, justice and inclusion?’" Ms. Malone said."
— 2025 November 7, David A. Fahrenthold, Claire Brown, quoting Delia Malone, “The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
"The wife's equity does not, according to the adjudged cases, attach, except upon that part of her personal property in action which the husband cannot acquire without the assistance of a court of equity"
— 1826, James Kent, Commentaries on American Law:
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster."
— 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
"What steps the Government are taking to help ensure equity of opportunity for people from low-income families."
— 2020 July 22, Ben Bradley, “Low-income Families: Equity of Opportunity”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), column 2139:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The company's ____ was divided among the founders after the merger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The concept of ____ in education means that every student gets what they need to succeed.