Equip

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈkwɪp/

Definitions

1. To provide the requisite tools and resources necessary for carrying out a task or achieving a goal
2. To furnish with the items required to perform a particular activity or duty
3. To provide all needed apparatus or materials for a specific purpose

Etymology: The verb "equip" began as a nautical term. Old French "esquiper" meant "to embark," and it was used of men going aboard a ship, so the core sense was about getting a vessel ready for sea, with its crew and gear in place. The word's deeper roots lie in Germanic: it most probably comes from Old Norse "skipa," meaning "to man a ship," which traces back to a Proto-Germanic verb meaning "to ship, sail, embark." That same root gave English "ship" itself, so "equip" and "ship" are doublets, two words descended from one source by different routes. The sense then widened. French "équiper" came to mean "to supply or fit out" in general, and English borrowed that broader meaning. A sailor once equipped a vessel with everything needed for a voyage; the modern verb applies the same idea to anything, from a soldier's kit to a laboratory's instruments.

Synonyms: furnish, supply, provide, arm, dress

Antonyms: deprive, disarm, stripped, unready, unfurnished