[even] n [ME even, eve, fr. OE aefen] (bef. 12c) archaic: evening
[2]even adj [ME, fr. OE efen; akin to OHG eban even] (bef. 12c) 1 a: having a horizontal surface: flat "~ ground" b: being without break, indentation, or irregularity: smooth c: being in the same plane or line
2. a: free from variation: uniform "his disposition was ~" b: level
4. 3 a: equal, fair "an ~ exchange" b (1): leaving nothing due on either side: square "w e will not be ~ until you repay my visit" (2): fully revenged c: being in equilibrium: balanced; specif: showing neither profit nor loss d obs: candid
4. a: being one of the sequence of natural numbers beginning with two and counting by twos that are exactly divisible by two b: marked by an even number c: being a mathematical function such that f(x) f(-x) where the value remains unchanged if the sign of the independent variable is reversed
5: exact, precise "an ~ dollar"
6: as likely as not: fifty-fifty "an ~ chance of winning" syn see level, steady -- even.ly adv -- even.ness n -- on an even keel also on even keel : in a sound or stable condition [3]even adv [ME, fr. OE efne, fr. efen, adj.] (bef. 12c) 1 a: exactly, precisely b: to a degree that extends: fully, quite "faithful ~ unto death" c: at the very time
2. a--used as an intensive to emphasize the identity or character of something "he looked content, ~ happy" b--used as an intensive to stress an extreme or highly unlikely condition or instance "so simple ~ a child can do it" c--used as an intensive to stress the comparative degree "he did ~ better" d--used as an intensive to indicate a small or minimum amount "didn't ~ try" [4]even vb evened ; even.ing vt (13c): to make even ~ vi: to become even -- even.er n