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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

equalizer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈiː.kwaˌlaj.zɜʳ/ (India)
  • /ˈiː.kwəˌlaɪ.zɐ/ (New-Zealand)
  • /ˈi.kwəˌlaɪ.zəɹ/ (Canada, General-American, Scotland)
  • /ˈiː.kwəˌlaɪ.zə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • ē′kwə-lī′zər
  • /ˈiː.kwəˌlɑe.zə/ (Australia)
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *aikʷos? Old Latin aiquos Latin aequus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin aequālisbor. Middle English equal English equal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English equalize Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English equalizer From equalize + -er (nominal suffix: agent noun).

Meanings

  1. One who makes equal; a balancer.
    • The Internet serves as an equalizer of sorts against common discriminations based on race, gender and age. You have to^([sic]) the opportunity to assess someone based on what they are saying, not WHO is saying it. I think this can provide for some very worthwhile exchanges and allow people who might not do so otherwise, to come to know each other. The downside is that as they say, on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. You can lie or say whatever you want and hide behind anonymity. 2001 March 23, Julia L. Wilkinson, quoting Robert Seidman, “[An Awesome Tool; A New Way of Life] Benefits of USENET Bulletin Boards and the Internet Community”, in My Life at AOL, [Bloomington, Ind.]: 1stBooks, →ISBN, page 124:
    • Practically, it can be seen clearly that weeder courses are not equalizers. In fact, they exacerbate inequality and continue to push wealthy and privileged students to the top while putting down minority and low-income students. 2024 September 16, Opinion Department, “TIAS | It’s Time to Weed Out Weeder Courses”, in The Cornell Daily Sun, archived from the original on 10 Jun 2025:
    • Death is the great equalizer.
  2. A device that balances various quantities.
  3. A goal, run, point, etc. that equalizes the score.
    • Mariners scored a run in the seventh inning and the equaliser in the top of the ninth, after Braves’ starting pitcher Ashley Crump had dominated—throwing six scoreless innings for just two hits. 2011 May 16, Mike Driscoll, “Pirates plunder top spot with late attack”, in Illawarra Mercury, page 36:
    • [Bendtner was central to it at all, firstly firing home, via a deflection off Gareth McAuley, after being teed up by Sebastien Larsson's neat backheel, and then a minute later crossing for Elmohamady to head in an equaliser. 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2012:
  4. An electronic audio device for altering the frequencies of sound recordings.
    • Several digital effects are supported by Deck, ranging from a digital equalizer, which lets you accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies, to a stereoizer, which processes a mono- phonic recording to simulate stereo. 1991, Macworld, volume 8, PC World Communications:
  5. A device, such as a bar, for operating two brakes, especially a pair of hub brakes for an automobile, with equal force.
  6. Any device for equalizing the pull of electromagnets.
  7. A conductor of low resistance joining the armature ends of the series field coils of dynamos connected in parallel.
  8. A sliding panel to preserve the lateral stability of an aeroplane.
  9. A set of arguments where two or more functions have equal values; the solution set of an equation.
  10. A morphism whose codomain is the domain of a parallel pair of morphisms and which forms part of the limit of that parallel pair. Equivalently, a morphism which equalizes a parallel pair of morphisms in a limiting way, which is to say that any other morphism which equalizes that parallel pair factors through this limiting morphism; and moreover such factorization is unique.
  11. (Canada, US, slang) A weapon, usually a blackjack or gun.
    • Familiar epithets for the revolver were equalizer, shootin' iron . . . smoke wagon. 1950, C. Merton Babcock, “The Vocabulary of Social Life on the American Frontier”, in Western Folklore, volume 9, number 2, page 138:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
equaliser alternative lexicographic
equalizers Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

coequalizer · equalizer knot

Hypernyms

pullback · monomorphism

Synonyms

tying goal

Translations (29)

cs kompenzátor (a balancer) · ja 同点弾 (a goal that equalizes the score) · ru баланси́р (a balancer) · de Ausgleich (a goal that equalizes the score) · es ecualizador (device for altering audio frequencies) · ko 이퀄라이저 (device for altering audio frequencies) · bg изравнителен гол (a goal that equalizes the score) · fr but égalisateur (a goal that equalizes the score) · bg еквилайзер (device for altering audio frequencies) · bg изравнител (a balancer) · fi taajuuskorjain (device for altering audio frequencies) · ja 同点ゴール (a goal that equalizes the score) · nl equalizer (device for altering audio frequencies) · fi tasaaja (a balancer) · uk еквала́йзер (device for altering audio frequencies) · cs vyrovnávač (a balancer) · cs ekvalizér (device for altering audio frequencies) · ja イコライザー (device for altering audio frequencies) · fi tasain (a device that balances quantities) · el εξισωτής (device for altering audio frequencies) · pt gol de empate (a goal that equalizes the score) · el εκουαλάιζερ (device for altering audio frequencies) · bg балансир (a balancer) · mi pūhōrite (a device that balances quantities) · ko 동점골 (a goal that equalizes the score) · cmn 均衡器 (device for altering audio frequencies) · fi tasoitusmaali (a goal that equalizes the score) · ru эквала́йзер (device for altering audio frequencies) · nl equaliser (device for altering audio frequencies)

wikidata: Q828419