even, evene, efenn, effne, evyn

& adv. [A. S. efen, efn, evin; Icel. jafn; Dan.jævn; Dut.even; Goth. ibus; O. H. Ger. epan; Ger. eben; Sw.jämn; O. Fris. ivin.] A. As adjective: I. Ordinary Language: 1. Literally: (1) Level, smooth, not rough or rugged; plain, devoid of irregularities or inequalities. "Thær shulen be on effine and smethe wegghe ." Ormulum, 9,218. (2) Level with; parallel to; in a line or level with. "Thine enemies shall lay thee even with the ground." -Luke xix. 44. (3) Not having any part higher or lower than another; level. "When Alexander demanded of one what was the fittest seat of his empire, he laid a dry hide before him, and desired him to set his foot on one side thereof; which being done, all the other parts of the hide did rise up; but when he set his foot in the middle, all the other parts lay flat and even."- Davies . 2. Figuratively: (1) Equal, like. IMG:content-1182.png:[blocks in formation] "Without loading our memories, or making us even sensible to the change."- Swift . 9. Expre ing extension to some person or thing. "I have made several discoveries which appear new even to those who are versed in critical learning."-Ad dis on: Spectator. 10. Expre ing conce ion. 11. Expre ing surprise. "Is 't even so?"- Shakesp .: Twelfth Night , ii. 3. (1) On an even : On an equality; on par. "We on an even lay venture soules and bodies, For so they doe that enter single combats." Carlell: Deserving Favorite (1629) (2) To be even with: To be on terms of equality with; to be quits with. "The public is always even with an author who has not a just deference for them."- Add is on. (1) Crabb thus discriminates between even , level , plain , and smooth : " Even and smooth are both op. posed to roughne : but that which is even is free only from great roughne es or irregularities; that which is smooth is free from every degree of roughne , however small. Even is to level , when applied to the ground, what smooth is to even : the even is free from protuberances and depre ions on its exterior surface; the level is free from rises or fails: a path is said to be even ; a meadow is level : ice may be level , though it is not even , a walk up the side of a "Thei ben cuene with aungels."- Wycliffe : Luke xx. 36. hill may be even , although the hill itself is the (2) Uniform, level, smooth, calm. reverse of a level: the even is said of that which unites and forms one uninterrupted surface; but "Thou peple of God, be of euener inwitt." -Wycliffe: the level is said of things which are at a distance Baruch, iv. 5. IMG:content-1183.png:[blocks in formation] from each other, and are discovered by the eye to be in a parallel line; hence the floor of a room is even with regard to itself; it is level with that of another room. When applied figuratively, these words preserve their analogy: an even temper is secured from all violent changes of humor; a smooth speech is divested of everything which can ruffle the temper of others; but the former is always taken in a good sense, and the latter mostly in a bad sense, as evincing an illicit design or a purpose to deceive: a plain speech, on the other hand, is divested of everything obscure or figurative, and is consequently a speech free from disguise and easy to be understood." ( Crabb : Eng . Synon.) (2) For the difference between even and equal , see EQUAL. Obvious compounds: Even - handed (Shakesp.: Macbeth , i. 7), with the derivative even-handedne ; even-minded, even-mindedly, even-tempered, . *even-bishop, s. A co-bishop, a coadjutor bishop *even-christian, *even-cristene, *even-cristen, *em-cristen, *em-cristene, s. [A. S. efencristena.] A fellow Christian. "Eche man shulde love his even-cristene."-Wyclife: Select Works, i. 31.