Adequateness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being sufficient or good enough for a particular purpose
2. A condition where something meets the required standards or expectations
3. The attribute of having the necessary ability or amount to fulfill a need or task

Etymology: "Adequateness" is simply "adequate" with the English suffix "-ness" attached, and the suffix does the same job here as in "kindness" or "darkness": it turns an adjective into a noun naming the quality. The adjective itself came into English from Latin "adaequatus", the past participle of "adaequare", meaning "to make equal to", built from "ad" (to) and "aequus" (equal, level). So the core idea behind the word is equality of measure: something is adequate when it matches what is needed, as if the two were brought level with each other. The "-ness" ending has a long history of its own. It descends from a Germanic suffix that was already used to form abstract nouns in Old English, where "-nes" attached to adjectives and nouns to name qualities. Its Middle English form was "-nesse", and it has remained one of the most productive ways in English to make a quality out of an adjective, which is why it can be attached to a Latin-derived adjective like this one without any strain.

Synonyms: sufficiency, adequacy, competence

Antonyms: inadequacy, insufficiency