evennessn.
/ˈiːvn̩nəs/, U.S. /ˈivə(n)nəs/ I. Levelness, smoothness; freedom from perturbation; state of being well or evenly balanced.
1.
a. The quality or state of being smooth or level; smoothness, levelness. Used esp. of the surface of the ground, a road, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > [noun]
evenlinesseOE
evennesseOE
plainnessc1330
flatnessc1440
level1594
levelness1787
planity1803
planeness1858
planarity1956
eOE Bede Glosses (Tiber. C.ii) in H. D. Meritt Old Eng. Glosses (1945) 7/2 [In modum] ęquoris [Natura conplanat] : emnesse.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Baruch v. 7 Forsoth God ordeynyde for to meek eche heeȝ hill..for to fulfille the euen valeys in to the euenesse of erthe.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xxi. 665 Þe see hatte equor, and haþ þat name of equalite, ‘euennesse’, for he is euen and playne.
1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde xv. f. 37v The foreheade..verie hollow in the midle..with an euennesse throughout, by a loasenesse of the skinne.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie P 406 The plainenesse or euennesse of the sea.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Limé Scraped, or shauen vnto a sleeknesse, or euennesse.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 176 For statelinesse of the buildings, paving & evenesse of the Streete..far superior to any in Europ.
1715 W. Derham Astro-theol. Prelim. Disc. p. lv The Evenness of the Surface of the Lunar Spots.
1795 A. Radcliffe Journey 72 The ground has improved so much, that nothing but its evenness distinguishes it from other countries.
1833 N.-Y. Spectator 31 Oct. He contended that it [sc. the street] would be so hilly that all travel would continue on Broadway from the evenness of the surface.
1861 Amer. Agriculturist July 193/2 The smooth shaven lawn, with nothing but evenness and monotonous green to commend it.
1901 Amer. Geologist 28 21 There were apparently no moraines or eskers to interrupt the evenness of the plain.
1988 Amer. Zoologist 28 833/1 Slopes and evenness of the terrain..can vary continually.
2014 Sunday Times (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 27 Apr. What struck me were the beauty and the evenness of the roads—a stark contrast from the potholed roads I am used to in southeast Ohio.
b. Uniformity of shape, texture, arrangement, etc.; regularity, consistency, homogeneity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > uniformity > [noun]
evenlinesseOE
evennessa1398
equality1398
uniformity?a1475
equalness1545
uniformness1579
coherence1588
constancy1593
identity1611
oneness1611
holdinga1616
homogeneity1625
homogeny1626
unity1638
equiformity1646
self-consistencya1652
invariableness1654
homogeneousness1658
univocacy1658
sameness1743
consistency1787
self-similarity1847
consistence1850
flushnessa1878
homogenization1938
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xii. v. 610 Somme [bees] makeþ celles, now rounde, now square, wiþ wondir byndynge and ioynynge and euenes.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. i. 888 Som fruyte is round for euennesse of matiere of humour [L. propter equalem materiam humoris] and for euen worchyng of þe vertue þat worcheþ.
1597 A. Hartwell tr. D. Lopes Rep. Kingdome of Congo vi. 39 They drawe forth their threedes, which are all very fine and dainty, and all of one euennesse.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 182 Trees of admirable height & euennesse.
1685 R. Boyle Short Mem. Hist. Mineral Waters 69 The length and evenness of the stem.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 27 The Sallow, the Hornbeam..and the Fig..by their Dryness and Evenness, are..wonderfully soft and easy under the Carver's Tool.
1789 tr. V. Denon Trav. Sicily & Malta 337 Every thing marvellous about this grotto consists in..the perfect evenness in the quality of the stone.
1815 G. W. Hall Let. 4 June in Lett. Importance encouraging Growth Corn & Wool (?1815) x. 71 It is this superior evenness of pile..that we seek for by crossing.
1878 L. P. Meredith Teeth (ed. 2) 2 The evenness, the whiteness..in a beautiful set of teeth.
1902 Weekly Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) 12 Dec. 12/4 Competent judges of this grain speak in admiration of the evenness of the rows.
1990 Opera Now May 25/1 The voice..acquires exceptional tonal purity and evenness of texture.
2007 Social Forces 86 726 Integration, as frequently measured, is a function of evenness of distribution.
2016 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 25 Dec. To maintain evenness of color on plants, turn them regularly.
2.
a. Of movement or action: freedom from fluctuations or perturbations; steadiness, calmness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > [noun] > smooth or steady
evennessa1398
steadinessa1586
deliberateness1831
the world > relative properties > relationship > uniformity > [noun] > uniformity or freedom from fluctuation
evennessa1398
uniformity1577
steadiness1638
unity1775
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. ii. 452 Me takeþ hede of þe nobilte of heuen..in euenes of mevinge [L. motus uniformitate] and swiftnes.
1574 H. G. tr. G. Cataneo Most Briefe Tables Ranckes of Footemen sig. Gii Thou for to cause that the raye maye go with an euennesse, shalte cause this maniple to go by fiue in a rancke in breadth.
1650 R. Heath Clarastella 11 Her steps with such an evenness she wove, As shee could hardly be perceiv'd to move.
1701 N. Grew Cosmol. Sacra i. ii. §23 The Æther..most readily yieldeth to their [sc. the celestial bodies'] Revolutions, and the making of them with that Evenness and Celerity as is requisite in them all.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 147. ⁋2 Evenness of Voice and Delivery.
1846 Glasgow Herald 14 Sept. To convey cattle without injury, not only speed, but evenness of motion is indispensable.
1869 A. J. Ellis On Early Eng. Pronunc. I. i. iv. 331 The evenness with which a Frenchman pronounces the syllables.
1913 World's Best Music 9 242/1 Many [violin] teachers are of the opinion that evenness of motion of the right arm can be acquired in a short while.
1964 W. A. Hance Geogr. Mod. Afr. xv. 340 A particularly favorable feature of this stretch [of river] is the unusual evenness of flow.
2003 New Yorker 3 Mar. 52/3 There is an uncanny metronomic evenness to his speech.
b. Of the mind, a person's temper or temperament, etc.: calmness, tranquillity, equableness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > [noun]
resteOE
peacea1225
egalityc1374
tranquillityc1374
peaceabilityc1384
sobernessc1384
tranquille1412
quietness?a1425
evenheadc1440
equalitya1475
equability1531
sobermood1556
calmness1561
evenness1561
serenity1599
collection1602
equilibrium1608
calm1609
temperateness1609
composedness1611
recollection1611
temper1611
unpassionateness1611
placidity1619
sereneness1628
attemperature1635
quietationa1639
equableness1641
steadiness1642
sedateness1647
imperturbation1648
placidness1654
centredness1662
equanimity1663
composure1667
serenitude1672
equalness1675
unperturbedness1676
dispassion1690
quietism1735
serene1744
relaxednessa1750
self-composure1762
sober-mindedness1767
collectedness1789
unprovokedness1795
comfortableness1815
repose1815
levelness1824
dispassionateness1842
unruffledness1858
passionlessness1867
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. iii. f. 238 A well tempered euennesse of mynde [L. bene temperata animi æquitate].
1655 Bp. J. Taylor Vnum Necessarium iii. §5. 145 A good man may..in a sudden anger go beyond the evenness of a wise Christian.
1683 W. Temple Mem. in Wks. (1731) I. 401 His Recovery..was owing to the great Evenness of his Temper.
1704 M. Henry Communicant's Compan. vii. 135 An evenness and calmness of Affection, free from the disorders and ruffles of Passion.
1773 E. Stiles Lit. Diary 5 Feb. (1901) I. 341 Evenness and Calmness and Moderation were among his Characteristics.
1840 Literary Garland Mar. 153/1 She had the same tinge of romance, the same quiet evenness of spirits.
1844 Baptist Preacher Feb. 28 Pray for more fixedness and evenness in your spiritual temper.
1921 F. Chamberlain Private Char. Queen Elizabeth ii. 19 Her character tended to firmness, evenness, placidity, and steady, strong, determined action.
2009 M. R. Eyestone in J. R. Shook & L. S. Swan Transformers & Philos. vii. 101 You possess traditional moral virtues like moderation, courage, evenness of temper.
3. The state of being well or evenly balanced (literal and figurative). Also: remoteness from extremes, moderation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > equilibrium
evennessa1398
peisea1400
equal (also even) poise1555
counterpoise1594
libration1603
equal, even scale1604
equilibre1621
poise1621
poisurea1625
balance1642
equilibrity1644
equilibrium1660
equipoise1661
equipoisure1683
equiponderancy1710
equiponderance1775
repose1805
equibalance1841
stasis1920
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xxiii. 124 Som [puls] hatte mene, euen, and temperat... Þis mene and euenes comeþ of moche and litil.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) x. 8 (MED) Euennes is sen in his knawynge, ynentes bath the partis of goed and ill.
1556 N. Grimald tr. Cicero Thre Bks. Duties i. f. 44 Ther is nothing more seemelie: than an euennesse in all a mans life.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie iv. viii. 184 That so it [sc. a crooked stick] may settle it selfe..in a middle estate of euennes.
1646 J. Whitaker Danger of Greatnesse 22 It is a difficulty for an unsteady paralyticall hand to carry a full cup with evennesse.
1653 F. Rous Mysticall Marriage 316 The one are so ballanced with the other that the soul is kept in an evenness.
1660 J. S. Andromana i. ii. sig. A3 See the Embassadors entertain'd With such an evenness, as should be us'd to men We neither fear nor love.
1797 in J. Brown Posthumous Wks. 28 He seemed to have attained an habitual evenness of mind; never much transported with joy, nor much depressed with sorrow.
1828 J. Plumptre Resurrection of our Friends 13 In some unpleasant and trying disputes in the parish..the evenness with which he conducted himself was admirable.
1896 Science 21 Feb. 289/1 A private collector is..apt to..lack the evenness of balance which should be one of the characteristics of the ‘museum man’.
1908 Harper's Bazar Dec. 1186/1 One would expect..to find public bodies and government offices holding the scales with some approach to evenness.
1966 Ames (Iowa) Daily Tribune 26 Nov. 7/6 The evenness of the contest can be seen in the fact that the score was tied 12-12 at the end of the first period.
2005 Times (Nexis) 15 June 17 Six of the eleven..showed an improvement... The other five did not. The evenness of the balance may trigger fresh criticism.
II. Impartiality, equitableness; equality.
4. † b. plural. Right or just things. Obsolete. rare.In both quots. with reference to a phrase in Psalm 17:2, later translated as ‘let thine eyes beholde the things that are equall’ (King James).
a. Impartiality, fairness, equitableness, esp. in the administration of the law or of justice. In early use sometimes more generally: †righteousness, goodness (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > rightness or justice > [noun]
doomc825
righteOE
evennessOE
lawc1175
righteouslaikc1175
judgementc1300
righteousheada1325
justice1340
rightfulnessa1387
justnessc1443
fairnessc1450
rightfulhoodc1475
rightheada1500
uprightness1541
righteoushood1543
rightship1793
just-mindedness1838
society > morality > rightness or justice > [noun] > fairness or equity
evennessOE
rightOE
equityc1315
evenheadc1350
charityc1430
evenhood1496
consciencea1538
equalness1548
equality1556
equanimity1607
candour1616
equitableness1648
candidness1661
just1667
both-sidedness1845
OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 162) in D. G. Scragg Vercelli Homilies & Related Texts (1992) 341 Seo rihtwisnys.., on þære byð gehealden se biggeng þære godcundnysse & þa gerihtu þære mennisclicnysse & efnes [altered from efne; lOE Corpus Cambr. 303 efnes; L. aequitas] ealles þæs lifes.
OE Stowe Psalter cxviii. 144 Aequitas testimonia tua in eternum : efennys gecyðnys ðin on ecnysse.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) li. 3 (MED) Þou louedest malice up blisfolhede, more to speken wickednes þan euennes [L. aequitatem].
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. viii. 14 But of euenesse, in the present tyme ȝoure haboundaunce fulfille the myseste of hem.
a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) ix. 8 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 140 And als deme sal he Werlde ofe erþe in euennesse.
c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 19 To varie it at youre wille..after that the cas asketh and right and euenenesse is.
1570 T. Wilson tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations iv. 85 The one sort..seeke onely..to haue their Countrie gouerned by lawes in an euennesse.
1609 S. Hieron Abridgem. of Gospell vii. 79 To be..fruitfull in the duties of equity and euennesse amongst men, this is religion.
1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation Pref. 5 They have delivered things to posterity with..much candour and evenness.
1715 A. Pennecuik Curious Coll. Scotish Poems in Geogr., Hist. Descr. Tweeddale App. 38 That Tongue..is now for ever Dumb. Which with such evenness, Justice did Dispence.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward I. xvi. 302 Without it..these noble knights had never known the evenness of Count Baldwin's justice.
1899 Independent (N.Y.) 2 Feb. 324/2 Evenness and impartiality..are as quickly recognized..in Samoa as elsewhere.
1908 Racine (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 6 July 4/1 The equity, the evenness of the law..—these are the vital, the absolute essentials.
1941 Amer. Hist. Rev. 46 950 There is an effective evenness of judgment in the author's treatment of the giants, Roosevelt and Wilson.
2001 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 4 Apr. For evenness and fairness, the state should take over all such activity.
ΚΠ
OE Stowe Psalter xvi. 2 Oculi tui uideant aequitates : eagan ðine geseon emnyssa.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xvi. §3. 55 Thin eghen sees euenessis [L. aequitates].
5. Equality; the fact or state of being equal, on equal terms, on an equal footing, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun]
comparison1340
evennessa1398
evenhead?a1400
equipollencec1430
pareil?c1450
equalityc1460
comparation1483
egalness1526
equalness1530
equivalency1535
eveningc1540
equivalencea1542
indifferency1569
owelty1579
coequality1583
mateship1593
equal1596
adequation1605
parity1609
parility1610
matchableness1611
equipollency1623
equiparance1624
egality1628
equipage1633
comparitya1635
omniparity1635
peership1641
exequation1656
equipoise1658
equipotency1658
countervalue1660
adequateness1664
commensurablenessa1676
peerage1681
égalité1794
peerdom1891
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xxiv. 127 Þe lyne of þe euenes [of] day and nyȝt.
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 288 (MED) Oure gouernaunce anentis hem schulde stonde in an oonnesse or an euennesse in quantite of mesure or in proporcioun.
a1450 De Oblacione Iugis Sacrificii (Titus) l. 782 in Wks. Lollard Preacher (2001) 177 And so he sowrmounteþ nouȝ al þat is seide or is God, and nouȝ he comparrisoneþ hymsilf bi euennes to God in many wises.
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 82 Þouȝ y be synful and ful of defautis and fer from þe euenesse to seint poul.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 217/2 Evennesse, equalité.
1646 J. Saltmarsh Smoke in Temple 46 The Question presupposeth evennesse betwixt parties, whereas the difference is betwixt government and no government.
1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. ii. i. §4. 34 Evenness, Parity.
1796 W. Marshall Rural Econ. Midland Counties (ed. 2) I. 72 The bark having been set up..with more than common care as to evenness of quantity.., the buyer chooses one, two, three, or a greater number of yards.
1855 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) Feb. 115 It need not be..required that they always maintain a precise evenness in amount of labor.
1884 J. A. Froude T. Carlyle: Life in London I. xii. 347 An evenness of position is a condition of healthy friendship.
1903 Olympian Nov. 482/1 In view of the apparent evenness of the teams some surprises are likely to be developed.
1998 N.Y. Times 12 Apr. viii. 10/3 The evenness of the two crews was reflected in the times of the races.
6. Ecology. The extent to which different species or groups within a community have equal numbers of individuals; = equitability n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > distribution > [noun] > representation of species in a community
equitability1964
evenness1966
1964 M. Lloyd & R. J. Ghelardi in Jrnl. Animal Ecol. 33 217 There are two components of species diversity, so to speak: number of species and ‘equitability’. (We choose the word ‘equitability’ here rather than ‘evenness’, since numerical equality among the species is too much to expect.]
1966 C. Pielou in Jrnl. Theoret. Biol. 10 373 Lloyd & Ghelardi (1964), who use H{p}, regard species-diversity as having two components: the number of species; and the ‘evenness’, or the degree to which the proportions of the several species approach equality. (Their term 'equitability' will not be used as their method of measuring it has not been adopted in the present work.)
1976 E. F. Stoermer & T. B. Ladewski Apparent Optimal Temperatures Phytoplankton Lake Michigan (Univ. of Michigan. Great Lakes Res. Division Publ. No. 18) 43 Diversity and evenness decrease through June and July and then increase through late summer, fall, and early winter.
1995 Jrnl. World Prehist. 9 371 I calculate evenness using Pielou's equation, which ranges from 0 (one taxon completely dominant) to 1 (all taxa equally represented).
2008 M. F. Laverty et al. Biodiversity 101 i. 14 A mixed-hardwood forest in the northeastern United States is dominated by beech and maple trees, with birch and ash trees at lower densities. These forests have high species evenness, but low overall species richness.
7. Comparison; the action or fact of comparing or likening one thing to another. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun]
evennessOE
eveningc1225
collationc1374
respitea1382
comparison1393
proportion?a1425
resemblance?a1439
comparation1483
comparing1489
commensuration1526
parificationc1537
conferring1561
paragon1590
counter-scale1645
counterbalance1647
collibration1656
confrontation1665
similituding1681
simile1682
confronting1887
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. (headings to readings) xxi Festucae uel trabis comparatione facta docet prius propria et post fratris uitia resecanda : lytles strees uel micles beames to uel mið efennisse gewordeno lærað ærist ða aganlico uel ða syndrio & æfter ðon broðres schyldo forgeafanne.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.eOE