Adequate

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/

Definitions

1. Sufficient in quality or quantity to meet a requirement or satisfy a need
2. Sufficient in amount or quality to fulfill expectations or needs
3. Having the necessary amount or quality to fulfill a particular purpose or demand

Etymology: "Adequate" is a learned borrowing from Latin "adaequatus," the past participle of "adaequare," meaning "to make equal to." The verb was built from "ad," meaning "to" or "towards," and "aequare," meaning "to make equal," which itself comes from "aequus," or "equal." So at its core, something adequate is something that has been brought up to the level of what is needed, made equal to the task. The English word therefore carries a idea of balance: a quantity or quality measured against a requirement and found to match it. Its close cousin in French, "adéquat," reached a similar sense along a parallel route from the same Latin source, which is why the two words look and mean so much alike.

Synonyms: sufficient, ample, acceptable, satisfactory, suitable

Antonyms: insufficient, inadequate, unsatisfactory, poor, deficient