coequal
coequal Lexical Profile
coequal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having the same rank, authority, value, or importance as another; equal with one another.
"The constitution establishes the executive, legislative, and judicial branches as coequal parts of the government."
• noun
A person or thing that is equal to another in rank, status, power, or importance.
"The two department directors treated each other as true coequals during the policy negotiations."
Word Nuance & Usage
While often criticized by usage guides as redundant alongside 'equal', 'coequal' is standard in constitutional law, politics, and theology to emphasize that multiple distinct entities share identical rank or authority within a single system (such as the three coequal branches of government).
• Rhymes for coequal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Late Latin coaequalis, formed from the prefix co- ('together') and aequalis ('equal'), originally used in Christian theology to describe the shared nature of the persons of the Trinity.